Zulfiqar Ahmad
ISLAMABAD, Aug 13: A political firestorm erupted on Wednesday as former MNA from Chitral, Iftikharuddin, launched a no-holds-barred attack on Senator Talha Mehmood, accusing him of hijacking local politics with “bags of flour and a few quid” disguised as philanthropy.
The drama heats up with a looming by-election in NA-1 (Chitral) if the court upholds the disqualification of the recently ousted PTI MNA Abdul Latif.In a fiery video tirade, Iftikharuddin, former MNA from Chitral (2013 to 2018), who won on late Gen Pervez Musharraf’s now defunct All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) ticket but backed PML-N and later joined Nawaz Sharif’s bandwagon before losing in 2018, blasted Senator Mehmood as a “political interloper” and billionaire outsider from Kohistan, exploiting local poverty to grease his political gears.
“This isn’t charity – it’s a scam,” Iftikharuddin roared. “You can’t buy people’s loyalty with ration bags and pocket change,” he maintained. The former MNA vowed to call an all-parties conference (APC) pronto to tackle what he called a “disturbing trend” – taking direct aim at the PPP and warning of an escalating political meltdown in Chitral.
“Politics is not a handout fest,” he said. “We want universities, gas, electricity, roads – not this pathetic vote-buying circus.”
He didn’t stop there, turning on his own brother, Khalid Pervez, accusing him of muscle-flexing to sneak back into the PPP fold for petty political gain – part of the ongoing circus wrecking real progress in Chitral.Iftikharuddin ripped Mehmood for turning Chitral into a “meena bazaar of politics,” where flashy stunts replace real leadership.
“The real problems of Chitral are suffocating beneath these damn seven days’ ration handouts – a bloody disgrace that mocks the suffering of the people,” he warned.He also slammed the recent ousting of PTI’s Abdul Latif as a “total miscarriage of justice,” hopeful the courts will right the wrong.
And he fired another shot, blaming Mehmood’s flashy visit for sparking a tidal wave of opportunistic political shenanigans.
“These flashy parades of cash and goods, followed by shameless Facebook videos, aren’t just out of touch — they’re a slap in the face to the intelligence of Chitrali voters,” he fumed.
Iftikhar doubled down on his pledge that only true natives should represent Chitral in Parliament – a clear warning to political carpetbaggers. “We’ve seen honest, broke Chitralis make it to Parliament through integrity and service,” he said.
“But what Talha Mehmood is doing – trying to buy an entire community’s conscience with a few quid – is downright shameful.”