2nd phase of LG polls: PTI workers in Mansehra vow to shun differences

MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers and office-bearers of the union and tehsils have decided to support candidates fielded by the regional governing body in the upcoming local government’s elections.

“We have suffered a defeat in the first phase of local government elections because of our internal differences. And we will not repeat the same mistakes in the second phase,” Taimur Saleem Swati, the district general secretary of the party, told a consultative meeting here on Thursday.

The activists and female workers from across Mansehra tehsil attended the meeting and demanded the regional governing body to respect their voice in nominations of aspirants for the LG elections.

“Every one of us is free to approach the regional body through the district body seeking his/her nomination but once the names are finalised by the former, we will respect the decision and work for their success,” Swati added.

He said that none but the party’s internal differences had led to PIT defeat in the first phase but they would bury their differences in the larger public and party interest in the second phase.

Speaking on the occasion, Tahir Bibi, the women wings general secretary, said that if the regional governing body repeated mistakes committed by the party’s regional bodies in the first phase then nobody could protect them from the same fate.

“I will request the party’s lawmakers and senators to bury their personal differences and get united to defeat our rival parties in the coming elections,” she maintained.

The consultative meeting was also addressed by the district and regional office-bearers Sardar Khan, Naveed Shah, Khizar Mushtaq and Basharat Ahmad.

ANTI-ENCROACHMENT DRIVE: The tehsil administration has launched an anti-encroachment drive in Balakot and its suburbs. “We have started removing temporary and concrete encroachments from the city and its suburbs to ensure the smooth flow of the traffic,” Assistant Commissioner Balakot Saddam Hussain told reporters on Thursday.

The officials of tehsil administration, police and Tehsil Municipal Administration took part in the drive and pulled down the concrete encroachments.

“We have also abolished the mini-bus terminals established by the transporters in the city and its suburbs and passenger vehicles parked there are shifted to the police station,” Hussain said.