Controversial audio: Announcement of PTI Mansehra office-bearers delayed

MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) divisional governing body in Hazara has delayed announcement of its district office-bearers in Mansehra when a controversial audio-conversation of its secretary information with an ex-office-bearer went viral on the social media earlier this week.

The PTI information secretary in Hazara division, Ajmal Khan Swati, in the leaked audio has been asking a former party office-bearer in Siran valley, Shan Khan that party’s elders wanted the former opposition leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Shahzada Gustasib Khan and Australian returned party sympathiser Dr Ashfaq at offices of district president and general secretary respectively.

“We have no other option but to nominate Shahzada Gustasib Khan and Dr Ashfaq as president and general secretary and you should project them through mainstream media and social media platforms,” said Ajmal to Shan Khan, who is arguing with him that he couldn’t support Shahzada Gustasib Khan because of his personal differences with him. The divisional information secretary also says to Khan that party’ MNA Salah Mohammad Khan was also supporting Gustasib and Dr Ashfaq and wanted both at key offices in district level.

The differences have been emerged with party since controversial audio had gone.

“The governing body staged a drama first holding an open party forum to gauge workers choice in a party forum and then met with local lawmakers but in fact names of district officer-bearers had already been finalised and we don’t accept this futile exercise at any cost,” Dr Zaheer Khan, the former district senior vice president said.

He said that over 95 percent party workers supported MPA Babar Saleem Swati for the office of district president but he was being denied his right though unfair means. “The party workers had met with president of Hazara’s governing body Ali Asghar Khan and apprised him about scam and conspiracies in the party,” said Dr Zaheer.

He said that a party delegation led by Swati met with chief organiser Saifullah Khan Niazi and sough his action to thwart conspiracies in the party.