F.P. Report
CHITRAL: Due to the negligence of the rulers and elected representatives, the people of Chitral are still forced to live a stone age life. The roads here are not fit for human being, people are deprived from their basic rights. If I get a chance, I will change the map of Chitral.
These views were expressed by Senator Mohammad Talha Mehmood, who is candidate for the National Assembly seat from NA 1 Chitral, who is contesting the elections from Chitral on the ticket of Jamiat Ulemaye Islam. He was visiting different areas of Tahsil Torkho, he addressed public gatherings.
The people of Veerkop, Shahgram and other areas gave him a warm welcome. The JUI workers welcomed him outside the city and took him in a convoy to the public meeting place. On this occasion, Haji Shakeel, the candidate of provincial assembly constituency PK-1, former Amir Sher Karim Shah and other members of JUI were also present with him.
Addressing the public gathering, Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood, said that when I travelled to upper Chitral, it seemed that the people here are still forced to live in the stone age. He said that there is no electricity, no potable clean drinking water and no good roads. It takes several hours to cover a few kilometers on this road and the vehicle is also so dirty that it is unrecognizable. He said that Chitral is a tourist area where nature has created a lot but unfortunately due to the negligence of representatives elected from here in the past, the rulers have shown criminal negligence and ignored it.
Senator Talha Mehmood said that my welfare organization already does goodwill work in Chitral, during natural calamities, I help the victims, get free treatment for patients, set up free medical camps, free ration for the poor and essential Distribution of goods etc. He said that the candidates of other parties for the same seat have complained against me in the Election Commission of Pakistan office that I help people. But even after February 8th, if I continue these relief activities, then how can they stop me? He said that if I get an opportunity to serve and on February 8th, people caste their vote in my favor and elected me with a heavy mandate, then I promise that I will never attempt for exploitation of your right.
He said that some people criticize me that I had distributed relief goods in Chitral in paste so that I can contest election from here and succeed, but my welfare organization also work in Afghanistan, Palestine, Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. And also works in other countries and helps people financially in times of trouble from which I am never contesting election.
Senator Talha Mehmood said that after the success in the recent elections, I intend to open two hundred handicraft centers for the women here, as well as build roads, bridges and paths here. He said that some critics are misleading people by saying that I will disappear after winning the election. But Nusrat Bhutto was also successful from here. Now I will not go anywhere from Chitral, I have bought my own house in Joghur and also opened the office of my welfare trust here.
He urged the people to elect a right and honest representative for their rights so that he doesn’t get only his salary by sitting in the assembly and doesn’t do anything other than playing discs. Talha Mehmood said that when I was the Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, I withdrew billions of rupees from the government treasury and returned them to the pilgrims who had been taken more than they had.
On this occasion, Amir JUI upper Chitral Mulvi Sher Karim Shah and other leaders also expressed their views and criticized the elected representatives in the past. He said that Prince Iftharuddin, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali were elected as members of the National Assembly twice, but they did nothing for Chitral.
While Criticizing Abdul Akbar Chitrali, he said that he spent five years in the assembly and took his salary, but after taking the vote, he did not return to this area to know about issues of people but after the dissolution of the assembly, he pasted his name on sign board while inaugurating some roads construction but work did start on that yet. but when the work did not start, the people also uprooted these boards and threw them away.
However, former MPA Hidayatur Rehman was not allowed to come to the meeting because his performance as a member of the provincial assembly for five years was also very disappointing, so he was directed by the elders of the party to not come here.
The election campaign rally was held in Shahgram where Senator Talha Mehmood said that if helping the poor people, giving sewing machines to widow women, giving free treatment to patients, giving free education to orphans, etc is a crime . I will continue to commit this crimes if anyone has the guts and can stop me from doing this, then stop it.
He said that if all the basic facilities are available to the people in other cities of Pakistan, why not here? I do not say that Lahore should be backward like Chitral but Chitral should be developed like Lahore. Development works can be laid in Chitral as well. The meeting concluded with the prayer words of Ustad al-Hadith Fateh al-Bari, which was attended by a large number of people.
