SWABI: Two local leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz here are likely to join Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, sources in the two parties revealed on Saturday.

The sources said Intizar Ahmad, district vice-president and Rashid Sohail, district information secretary of PML-N, had turned down the offer of party’s provincial president Amir Muqam to meet them and remove their reservations.

They said during the first phase of local body elections, the two leaders were sidelined in award of tickets as the party’s district chapter entered into an ‘unnatural’ alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

When contacted, Mr Ahmad told Dawn that it was unfortunate that PML-N leaders campaigned for PTI candidate for Swabi tehsil mayor slot, while ignoring their own party’s candidate, Mr Rabnawaz.

He asked if the PML-N leaders were supporting the PTI candidate then why they had awarded ticket to Mr Rabnawaz.

Mr Sohail told Dawn that they had brought various issues in the notice of the PML-N’s provincial leaders but they did not take any remedial measures, forcing them to quit the party.

When contacted, Maulana Fazal Ali, JUI-F’s central vice chief, said either the party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman or former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani would visit the district to honour the two leaders.

Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, PML-N divisional vice-president, said the two leaders had quit the party due to differences over award of tickets in local body elections.

BOY KILLED: A teenage was shot dead in Zaida village on Saturday.

SHO Zaida police station Raz Mohammad said Fawad Khan allegedly shot dead his friend, Waqar Khan after an argument.

He said a brother of the deceased had got registered an FIR against the suspect.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2022