PK-90: Mastuj-Yarkhun rally vows to support local candidate

CHINAR (MASTUJ), May 9: Shahzada Sikendar ul-Mulk, an independent candidate for PK-90 upper Chitral, led a jeep rally to the Yarkhun and Laspur valleys. ChitralToday correspondent Mohammad Javed also travelled with the participants and reports about the event. Named as Itifaq (unity) rally, the participants included about 300 people from Mastuj to Kargin. They left Mastuj in 32 vehicles early on May 7 towards Zhuppu, a village in the Yarkhun valley. On the way people continued joining the rally especially in Brep and Khotan Lasht. In Bang, the participants of the rally alighted from their vehicles and held a walk raising slogans in support of the candidate. After reaching Zhuppu, a big public gathering was held at the Junali of the village. Speakers on the occasion said that since 1947 areas in the north of Laspur river had never been given any representation by political parties in allocation of tickets for the National Assembly or provincial assembly seats. Qazi Jamaluddin of Mastuj, who was an active leader of the JUI-F, also spoke and said he left his party after it denied ticket to him mainly because he belonged to the backward area of Mastuj. The speakers, including people of Zhuppu and nearby villages, also said that the locals should get united to fight for their rights as people belonging to other areas after winning elections always ignored the area. After the meeting, the participants of the meeting held a rally on foot till the lower Vasum village and left for Mastuj. On return, they travelled via Meragram and reached Marthing after crossing the bridge in front of Yukum. In the evening the rally reached Mastuj. A large number of people led by their local leaders from Yarkhun also joined the rally to Mastuj. They included Babar Khan of Yukum, Gul Sifat and others in four jeeps from Brep, Phook Lali of Yarkhun Lasht, Mr Rafi of Boroghil, former district council member Israr Khan of Shust, chairman of Dubargar, Mr Ghazi, son of Hasil Jamadar of Gazen, and Khosh Wali Baig of Bang. On Wednesday morning, the participants started their unity rally to Laspur valley and after holding meetings in different villages reached Solaspur. A huge public gathering was organized at raman. The leaders belonging to Yarkhun on the occasion spoke about the injustices so far done with the people of the three union councils of Mastuj, Laspur and Yarkhun. They asked the people of Laspur whether they were ready to vote for the candidate of the area after all political parties denied tickets to anyone from these three union councils. The people of Laspur declared that they would vote for Shahzada Sikendar not because he belonged to an influential family but because he was the son of the soil. Besides Raman, the participants also met people and their leaders spoke at public gatherings in the villages of Harchin, Broke and Balim.  ]]>