MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Peoples Party has announced that it will field women and youth in the upcoming local body elections across Hazara division.

During a meeting here on Saturday, PPP divisional president Malik Waheed asked office-bearers and activists to begin election campaign across Hazara region without delay.

He said the PTI governments in the centre and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had miserably failed to deliver goods.

“People have rejected the ruling PTI’s politics of so-called change, which has given the country unprecedented inflation and unemployment rates. They (people) will vote for us [PPP] in the next local body polls across the province, especially in Hazara division,” he said.

Leaders flay govt over high prices

The meeting was attended by acting PPP Mansehra president Mir Afzal Awan, senior vice-president Shakeel Khan, district general secretary Mohammad Fareed, president of Women’s Wing Sajida Tabassum and other leaders.

BOY KILLED: A young boy was killed and 13 people suffered critical injuries in two rain-related incidents in Torghar and Lower Kohistan on Friday night.

Mohammad Attaullah, 12, was buried alive when a wall of his house collapsed in Raizari area of Torghar due to heavy rain.

Also, lightning struck some houses in Jigal Ranowalia area of Lower Kohistan district injuring 13 people, including women and children. They were shifted to health services, where their conditions were stated to be out of danger.

The rain began in upper parts of Hazara division on Thursday night and continued intermittently.

STRIKE: The lawyers and judicial employees observed separate strikes after a legal practitioner and a judge allegedly had heated exchanges during a case hearing here on Saturday.

After the incident, the police rushed to the court premises to defuse tensions.

In a news release, the All Pakistan Judicial Employees Association claimed that a lawyer behaved badly with a judge prompting the district judicial employees to go on a strike and demonstrate on the court premises.

It said the incident adversely affected the sanctity of the entire judiciary enraging judicial employees.

“We don’t want to create troubles for litigants in courts and will announce our future strategy on Monday,” leader of the judicial employees Jamal Tanoli told reporters.

The lawyers also met with their leader, Amir Khan Swati, in the chair and announced that they would boycott all courts in Hazara division against the ‘unethical attitude’ of a judge towards a lawyer.

Mr Swati said presidents of the district and tehsils bar associations from Hazara division would join the Monday protest of Mansehra lawyers.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2021