SWABI: Local leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf from various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a meeting here on Saturday urged their leadership to hold intra-party elections according to the party`s constitution.

PTI chairman Imran Khan had announced on May 13 that they would hold intra-party elections on June 11, which were mandatory for it to contest the future elections on its symbol of cricket `bat` as per the rules of Election Commission of Pakistan.

The meeting was held here at the residence of former district general secretary Yusuf Ali and attended by PTI leaders from Peshawar, Hazara division, Mardan and other regions.

Ali Asghar from Hazara, Ismail Khan from Mardan, Salim Jan from Peshawar and leaders from other districts and tehsils attended the meeting. They said that dictatorship in the party was not acceptable to them and due rights should be given to the workers who had contributed to the cause of the party.

The participants categorically demanded implementation of the party`s constitution to the letter.

Mr Ali told this scribe after the meeting that the participants opposed the nomination of Azam Swati as chief election commissioner of the party, saying that they did not expect that the intra-party elections would be free, fair or transparent under his supervision.

He said that they wanted that the unjust favour given to the MNAs and MPAs in the party should be withdrawn. He said that the meeting also criticised KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and health minister Shahram Tarakai for their failure to work according to expectations of the workers.

Meanwhile, PTI leaders held a meeting here on Saturday and decided to stage a protest demonstration against excessive power outages at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk on Monday (tomorrow).

PTI district president Anwar Hagdad said that the federal government had failed to solve the problem of prolonged outages, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He claimed that the strategy of massive loadshedding had been adopted by the federal under to defame the PTI-led government.

MASHAUS CHEHLUM: Preparations have been finalised by various organisations, welfare bodies and Mashal Khan`s family to observe his chehlum on Sunday (today).

It is expected that leaders of various political parties and civil society activists would gather at his grave on this occasion. The people, especially women, visit the home of the bereaved family to offer `fateha` for the departed soul on such occasions.