MANSEHRA: Member of the PML-N central and provincial councils and district president in Torghar Taimurullah Khan on Wednesday abandoned the party’s basic membership and resigned from all its offices.

“I’m leaving the party with a heavy heart because retired captain Mohammad Safdar never gave our opinion on party matters a serious consideration and always dictated to us,” Mr Taimurullah told reporters here.

PML-N district general secretary Zahir Shah, who also present on the occasion, announced quitting the party.

Mr Khan said he and other office-bearers opposed the fielding of party supremo Nawaz Sharif in the Feb 8 elections from NA-15 in Torghar but Mr Safdar resisted their opinion, leading to his defeat.

He said Mr Safdar and his elder brother Mohammad Sajjad Awan won the 2013 and 2018 general elections from NA-15, respectively, with their victory coming from Mansehra voters’ support.

He said he moved the Election Commission of Pakistan and the court of law for the annexation of the district with some other National Assembly constituency, but that didn’t happen due to Mr Safdar’s opposition and caused the party’s electoral defeat.

ELECTED: Maulana Akhtar Rehman Hazarvi and Maulana Samiullah were elected district emir and general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl in Torghar respectively on Wednesday.

The intra-party elections were held in Judbah. The newly-elected office-bearers took oath of their respective offices afterwards.

Maulana Hazarvi secured 107 votes and his rival Mufti Azizullah 83, while Maulana Samiullah and Said Mohammad Mian obtained 96 and 95 votes, respectively.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024