Balakot tehsil nazim, naib nazim de-seated

MANSEHRA: As many as 16 members in the 19-member council have voted against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz tehsil nazim and naib nazim of Balakot in a no-confidence motion and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is likely to install its government with the support of a dissident group in PML-N.

The council met on Monday, with acting convener Mian Salahuddin in the chair. All councillors of PML-N and PTI except acting convener cast their votes against the nazim Rustam Khan and naib nazim Abdul Quddus, who didn’t show up in the council during the polling.

In a meeting the other day, the PML-N councillors had made it clear to de-seat the nazim and naib nazim.

Ibrahim Ahmad Shah and Liaqat Khattana, who had moved no-confidence motion against the nazim and naib nazim, would contest election for the two slots now. “We have joined hands with PML-N councillors for development of Balakot and will work together without taking party affiliations into consideration,” Shah told reporters after the success of no-confidence motion.

He said that the councillors wanted to put Balakot tehsil on way to real development and prosperity.

The de-seated nazim, Rustam Khan, told reporters that he would move court against the voting on no-confidence motion. “This is horse-trading and we will challenge it in the court of law,” said Khan.

He said that they could not witness such violations of rules and morality in the local government system, which they observed during the no-confidence motion.