MANSEHRA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak is due here on Sunday (today) to announce tehsil status for Baffa town of Mansehra and its people are jubilant to welcome him. However, the traders in Shinkiari observed shutter down strike, saying their town had been ignored by the government.

The chief minister will address a public gathering at the local school where he according to the organisers would declare Baffa a tehsil of Mansehra district. The jubilant people of Baffa, including students and traders, held a rally and raised slogans in support of tehsil.

The rally was taken out as a goodwill gesture to celebrate the scheduled arrival of chief minister. Local leaders of PTI, PPP, JUI-F and PML-N addressed the rally and lauded the PTI government’s decision to give tehsil status to Baffa.

Shinkiari residents observe strike against the decision

Speaking on the occasion Mukhtiar Shoqaib, Haji Yousuf, Sherbaz and others said that it was a great moment for the people of Baffa that it was being given the status of tehsil.

“We welcome Mr Khattak and ask those opposing tehsil status of Baffa to think seriously as it is the oldest town and remained a trade centre before creation of Pakistan,” said Mr Shoqaib. Haji Yousuf said that tehsil status was the right of Baffa as it was connected with at least 12 union councils of Mansehra district.

“We have peacefully worked for achieving status of a tehsil and those opposing it should come and see that all poltical parties are united here for the cause of tehsil,” said Mr Yousuf.

Meanwhile, traders in Shinkiari observed shutter down strike and termed the government’s decision to declare Baffa as tehsil biased. “People from different localities can reach Shinkiari more easily than Baffa for their official works because of its location,” said Muzafar Deen while addressing protesters in Shinkiari.

Mazhar Bashir, Mumtaz Solaria and Mohammad Nawaz also spoke on the occasion and said that the government should give tehsil status to Shinkiari instead of Baffa.

“If Baffa is declared a tehsil then Shinkiari shouldn’t be attached with it and its status of town of Mansehra should be maintained,” they said. Mumtaz Solaria said that people of Shinkiari would observe Sunday as black day.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2016