LOWER DIR: The Election Commission of Pakistan has set up a total of 99 polling stations, including 80 for men and 19 for women, for the Balambat tehsil chairman’s by-election scheduled for April 28.

The commission has also set up 266 polling booths, including 116 for women.

The seat fell vacant after the PTI-backed tehsil chairman Asim Shuaib failed to return to the council despite repeated calls by the election commission. He is wanted by the police in May 9, 2023 riots cases.

According to sources, Mr Shuaib has gone abroad to avoid arrest.

Resultantly, the ECP announced a by-election on the seat. The commission has declared 31 polling stations as most sensitive, 49 sensitive and 19 as normal.

31 polling stations declared ‘most sensitive’

The tehsil council has a total of 145, 649 voters, including 65,261 women.

A total of 800 police officials would guard the polling stations.

PPP, PML-N, JUI-F and ANP have withdrawn their candidates in support of the JI nominee. Therefore, a close contest is expected between PTI’s Shakir Shuaib and JI’s Imranuddin. Another PTI disgruntled activist, Syed Alam Shah, is also in the running.

Mr Shuaib is the brother of former tehsil chairman Asim Shuaib.

ROAD ACCIDENT: A car fell into the Panjkora River in the jurisdiction of Khall police station on Sunday, residents and police said. They said a Rescue 1122 team pulled the car driver, but a four-year-old child, identified as Ramazan, was still missing.

The rescuers shifted the car driver to a hospital.

Also on Sunday, the district administration with the help of Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority cleared the Badwan Pengal Road of landslides using heavy machinery.

COMPENSATION: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Syed Mahboob Shah and MPA Humayun Khan here the other day handed over a cheque of Rs3 million to the family of Mohammad Nazir, a resident of Sakhawono village of Asbanr Adenzai.

A function in this regard was held at the office of additional assistant commissioner, Chakdara, Sardar Badshah, wherein the family was provided with the compensation on behalf of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

The wife of Mohammad Nazir along with two children died in a rain-related incident a few days ago.

The lawmakers also handed over a cheque of Rs1 million to resident Alam Sher, whose son was killed in heavy rains.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024