LOWER DIR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-Parliamentarians’ central vice-chairman and former provincial minister for finance Muzaffar Said Advocate has announced to join Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, the fourth political party he has aligned himself with. He made the announcement during a JUI-F workers’ convention held here on Tuesday. JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief and Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman was the chief guest. Muzaffar Said, a Jamaat-i-Islami activist, had joined PPP on Nov 16, 2020, when some JI activists did not support him during the 2018 elections. He was first elected as JI union council nazim in 2001 and then MPA on its ticket in 2002. The party again awarded him ticket in 2008, but later the elections were boycotted by JI. Muzaffar Said was again elected MPA on the JI ticket in the 2013 general election, and was given the portfolio of finance in the then PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was defeated by PTI candidate Malik Shafiullah in the 2018 elections. He joined PTI-P led by former defence minister Pervez Khattak in Nov 2023. In the last general elections, he could not secure the provincial assembly seat of PK-16 here. He was convinced to join JUI-F during a jirga held here the other day. Former district councillor Hakeem Khan, tehsil councillor Shahab Utmani and PPP former district president Barrister Aurangzeb also accompanied him in joining the JUI-F. JUI-F provincial chief Attaur Rehman welcomed the PTI-P leader into the party fold. BOOK FAIR: A three-day book fair kicked off at the University of Malakand here on Tuesday arranged by the varsity in collaboration with National Book Foundation. A large number of students, UoM faculty and administrative staff, schools’ heads and teachers visited the book fair and showed keen interest in books on different topics like medical, engineering, history, science, information technology, philosophy, politics and literature. Speaking on the occasion, the commissioner Malakand division said students should develop book reading habit during studies and in their free time. He said the aim of the book fair was to draw the attention of youth towards book reading because the trend was gradually vanishing among the youth and students. The commissioner said students should promote the cause of readership for reviving the culture of book reading on the campuses to boost creativity in them. He said only educated nations progressed and developed. According to organizers, over 5,000 books had been put on display for sale at discounted rates.