TIMERGARA: Lady Health Workers (LHWs) on Saturday threatened to boycott the anti-polio vaccination campaign and launch a protest campaign after March 15 if the government failed to accept their demands, including regularisation of services and provision of foolproof security.

The announcement was made during a meeting held here with provincial president of LHWs Association Saeeda Feroz in the chair. Sources privy to the meeting told local journalists that LHWs from different tehsils of the district besides their office-bearers attended the meeting.

The meeting expressed anger over the attitude of the government towards health workers and said the rulers were adopting delaying tactics to resolve their problems.

They said that the government had agreed in October last year to accept demands of LHWs.

“No action has yet been taken by the government to resolve our problems,” Ms Saeeda informed the meeting and said the LHWs had been exposed to serious security threats to the deteriorating law and order situation in parts of the province.

The participants demanded of the government to immediately regularise service of the LHWs, reinstate the suspended workers and increase their salaries as per government servants’ rules.

They said that thousands of LHWs would boycott the anti-polio campaign from March 15 if their demands were not accepted.

TRIPARTITE ALLIANCE: The first formal meeting of the three-party alliance for the coming local government (LG) elections in Lower Dir was held at a local seminary here on Saturday.

The alliance’s district president, Zahir Shah Khan of Awami National Party, chaired the meeting which was attended by key politicians, including Qazi Fazlullah, Qazi Ayazuddin and Muzafar Shah of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl; Azam Khan, Hussain Shah and Azizul Haq of ANP; and Khurshid Ali Khan, Khadim Jan and Rahmatullah of Pakistan Peoples Party.

The meeting decided to field joint candidates in the coming LG elections.

FAREWELL PARTY: District education officer (DEO), Lower Dir, Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim has asked the government schools teachers to ensure their presence on duty and focus on character building of students.

Addressing a farewell party arranged for retired headmaster Mushtaqur Rahman at Balambat here on Saturday, the DEO claimed that reforms introduced by the present government were bearing fruit.

Other speakers paid tribute to Mr Mushtaq and said that he had served the department for a long time with dedication and as an ideal teacher.