MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Peoples Party activists in Hazara Division formed a committee here on Monday to take up issues, especially those about election nominations, with the leadership.

The 10-member panel will take issues first withthe party’s provincial president and then central chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, according to PPP election ticket aspirant for PK-38 constituency Haq Nawaz Khan.

The committee comprises Rustam Khan Swati, Mohammad Fareed, Malik Mir Afzal, Mukhtar Shoaib, Iqbal Paswal, Jaffar Yusuf Khan, Abdul Hameed Khan, Raja Zahid Shahid, Mohammad Osama and Haq Nawaz Khan.

It formation came during a meeting chaired by Haq Nawaz Khan and attended by the party’s local leaders and workers.

It will meet party’s provincial, central chiefs

Mr Khan claimed that PPP provincial general secretary Shujah Salim Khan and divisional president Malik Farooq had hijacked the party in Hazara Division and nominated Malik Mumtaz as district president without taking the local leadership and workers into confidence.

He said the party stood divided into two groups due to wrong policies of the provincial general secretary and divisional president.

“We want fair distribution of election tickets for seven National Assembly and 17 provincial assembly constituencies in Hazara Division,” he said.

The PPP leader said the party’s central leadership should immediately intervene to address those issues before the start of campaign for the Feb 8 general elections,“ he said.

Insiders claim that the award of election tickets was delayed due to differences in the PPP.

Activists insist if the leadership didn’t sort out those issues, the party would suffer a major setback in the Feb 8 elections in Hazara Division.

MOUNTAINEERING: Mountaineers in Hazara Division on Monday demanded effective measures by the government to preserve mountains in the region.

“There is a need for adopting measures that could preserve nature with mountains as its jewel,” Sahibzada Jawad Alfaizi, head of Explore Pakistan, told a ceremony held here to mark the International Mountains Day.

The event was jointly organised by Explore Pakistan and Saibaan Development organisation and attended by mountaineers from Mansehra, Abbottabad, Battagram and other parts of Hazara Division.

Mountaineers Mohammad Asif, Niar Shahzad and Mohammad Zahoor called for government steps to protect alpine forests from deforestation.

“Our country is naturally enriched and we should join hands with the government to maintain its essence and beauty,” Mr Alfaizi said.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2023