JUIF suffers setback in Hazara

MANSEHRA: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) has suffered a major setback in the second phase of the local government elections as it managed to win only four of 22 tehsil chairmen slots in Hazara Division because of internal rift.

“We could win almost half of the teshil councils seats in seven districts of Hazara but party’s internal differences and poll rigging committed by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf deprived us of the major success in the division,” the JUIF’s provincial deputy head and ex- senator, Hidayatullah Shah, old reporters here on Tuesday.

The JUIF contestants won the tehsil chairmen slots in Judbah tehsil of Torghar, Allai Tehsil of Battagram and Kandia and Dasu tehsils of Upper Kohistan on March 31.

“Our party’s office-bearers who were denied tickets in the Suo tehsil of Upper Kohistan, Dor Mera and Hassanzai tehsils of Torghar and Pattan tehsil of Lower Kohistan won elections independently,” Shah said.

He alleged that the activists of ruling party threw the ballet boxes of JUIF aspirant, Maulana Roshin, into the Indus river when they realised that they were losing the elections in Dasu tehsil of Upper Kohistan.

“The result of the constituency has been withheld by the Election Commission of Pakistan. We are sure that our aspirant will win the Dasu tehsil chairman slot,” Shah added.

He said that his party would also discuss two major reasons, one of denying tickets to the diehard workers and poll rigging committed by the ruling PTI in the Hazara Division in its upcoming meeting.