CHITRAL, Feb 12: Construction work on a professional development centre of the Aga Khan University, Chitral, was stopped on Tuesday after activists of a religious political party threatened to resist the project. The work on the project was started two days ago.

A piece of land for the professional development centre project was acquired by the Aga Khan University at the Jughoor village three years ago, but the work on the project could not begin as the villagers demanded shifting of the project to upper parts of the district.

The PDC is an organ of the Aga Khan University and imparts in-service capacity training to teachers of schools of both public and private sectors.

A meeting, held between leaders of the JUI-F and the local police officials at a mosque in the Jughoor village on Monday, discussed the issue in detail.

The sub-divisional police officer, Mehboob Ali Khan, told Dawn that during the meeting JUI-F leaders Qazi Fatehullah, Maulana Mohammad Qasim, Maulana Asimuddin and others agreed to defer their protest and take up the issue with the local MNA, MPAs, district nazim, heads of political parties, high-ups of the AKU, and other stakeholders.

The construction work on the project will remain suspended until the matter was discussed and resolved by lawmakers and other representatives of the area.