LOWER DIR: The residents of Kambat in Samarbagh tehsil on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan not to make any changes to the delimitation of the PK-14 constituency and warned if Kambat, Darangal and Miskini union councils were again made part of the constituency, they would take to the street.

They told reporters in Samarbagh area that the Kambat, Darangal and Miskini union councils were previously part of PK-14 but they’re included in PK-18 according to the demands of the residents.

The residents said “some” political parties wanted that delimitation move reversed but the ECP shouldn’t do so.

People of Maidan area also supported the delimitation of the provincial assembly constituencies in Lower Dir.

Threaten street protests on issue

Under preliminary delimitation, Lower Dir district has five provincial assembly seats, including PK-14, PK-15, PK-16, PK-17 and PK-18.

The PK-14 constituency comprises Lal Qila tehsil and three union councils of Balambat tehsil, including Lajbok, Hayaserai and Balambat, while the PK-15 constituency has Khall tehsil, Balambat tehsil except its three UCs, and Adenzai tehsil’s Kotigram union council.

The rest of Adenzai tehsil is part of PK-16.

The ECP has declared Timergara tehsil and Munda tehsil excluding Mian Kalay union council PK-17 and Samarbagh tehsil and Mian Kalay union council of Munda tehsil PK-18.

PROTEST: The Jamaat-i-Islami’s Youth Wing on Wednesday staged a rally in Timergara area here against the proposed transfer of around 350 employees of the Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU) Mardan to its Timergara campus.

JI Youth Wing district president Ateequr Rehman and other speakers said they would offer resistance if the employees were transferred to the Timergara campus of the AWKU.

They insisted that the AWKU vice-chancellor would retire after six months, so he wasn’t authorised to convene a syndicate meeting.

The speakers added that the VC wanted the governor to extend his term in office but the people of Lower Dir won’t let that happen.

They said the university should appoint educated and eligible youths from among locals if it needed new staff members.

Meanwhile, the provincial Nutrition Cell in collaboration with the Unicef and Nutrition International (NI) held a walk and a function in Balambat area here on Wednesday to highlight the importance of iodised salt.

Deputy district health officer Dr Wali Khan led the walk whose participants carried banners highlighting the importance of iodine for people’s health.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2023