December 22, 2003	Monday	Shawwal 27, 1424

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LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Dec 21: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah inaugurated on Saturday the widening of Torkhum-Jamrud highway alongside construction of a custom complex at the Torkhum border checkpoint.

Speaking to a gathering of Khugakhel elders, the governor said that the government has also allocated an amount of 140 million rupees for the construction of 73 kilometres Torkhum-Jalalabad highway which was to be built by a Pakistani firm.

The proposed Torkhum-Jamrud highway, upon its completion, would be linked through a bypass to the G.T. Road and Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway.

The governor during his last visit to Torkhum on Dec 13 ordered the demolition of a market and offices of political administration and customs at the Torkhum border to pave the way for widening of road and construction of a new custom complex at the compound.

The Khugakhel elders of Shinwari tribe took exception to the government move to demolish their shops and argued that the customs department owed around Rs40 million as rent of their old office which was built in 1957.

Haji Gulab Khugakhel, an elder of the area, said that the then Khyber Agency political administration in consultation with customs high officials in 1957 agreed to pay Rs2 per square feet as building rent, but not a single penny was paid to Khugakhels to date.

Nisar Ahmad, another resident of the area, argued that prime land of their tribe was either taken on lease or occupied by force by the government, but they had not received any compensation for that. He demanded that Khugakhel youth be employed in various government departments.

The same views were expressed by elders of the area in their welcome address to the Governor NWFP during the inauguration of highway and customs complex. Taking note of the Khugakhel elders reservations and demands, the governor assured that he will take up the matter with authorities concerned and also provide job opportunities to the unemployed of the area.

The governor said the construction of the proposed highway would help improve trade ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan besides providing job opportunities to local people. He said the government was striving to further improve facilities being provided at Torkhum border.

He assured the Khugakhel elders that they will be duly compensated for the loss of their property which would be demolished for road widening and construction of customs complex.

HAMZA BABA COMPLEX: Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Saturday also formally inaugurated the newly constructed Hamza Baba Complex at the mausoleum of the legendary Pushto poet the late Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari.

The complex, comprising a hall and a library, was constructed at a total cost of Rs3.1 million in two years’ time. Relatives of the late pushto poet on that occasion complained of use of substandard material in the construction of the complex.

They said that three government contractors had to leave the construction work half way through it, also taking along wages of labourers which also effected the quality of construction.