MARDAN: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Iftikhar Mishwani has criticised the provincial government of his own party over poor law and order situation in Mardan district.

Addressing a jirga here on Sunday, he showed concern over deteriorating law and order situation in the district. The jirga was held to chalk out strategy for recovery of a trader, who was kidnapped from Takhtbai Bazaar two weeks ago.

The meeting was also attended by PPP district general secretary Aurangzeb Khan, ANP leader Masri Bacha, Amn Jirga general secretary Mujeebu Rahman, president of Anjuman-i-Tajran Takhtbai Bazaar Mohammad Tariq Khan and elders of the area.

The MPA said that trader Ali Khan was kidnapped at gunpoint in broad daylight from Takhtbai Bazaar but the officials concerned failed to recover him despite lapse of 15 days.

“The PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has been ignoring Mardan district in approving development funds,” he said.

He added that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was of the view that a lot of development funds had been utilised in Mardan district during the previous government of ANP.

The chief minister thought that Mardan did not need more development funds and projects, Mr Mishwani said.

Addressing the meeting, other speakers said that kidnapping for ransom had become daily routine in the city. They said that the traders were feeling insecure in the city. They said that traders were planning to shift from the city to other safer places.

The speakers asked the government to impose ban on “Under Palay” business, purchasing vehicles on credit instead of cash, as it was a kind of interest. It had been affecting hundreds of families, they added.

The speakers set one-week deadline to the government for safe recovery of the kidnapped trader. They threatened to block the main Malakand Road to all kinds of traffic if their colleague was not recovered within one week.