KARAK: The residents of Kurd Sharif, Showanki and adjoining localities here on Saturday held a demonstration against the coalmine owners for not providing facilities to the labourers.

The protesters gathered at Kurd Sharif and later marched to the coalmines, where they blocked a road. They alleged that lease holders of the mines were giving only Rs1,000 per month to the landowners, demanding that locals should be paid Rs1,000 for per truck leaving the area loaded with the extracted minerals.

They complained that the coalmine companies had not initiated a single welfare project in the areas, regretting that the local people were working in the coalmines but their children were refused admission in the folks grammar school in Karak, which was set up for the purpose of educating children of workers.

The protesters said two labourers were seriously injured when a landslide struck them inside a coalmine, and one of them later succumbed to injuries, but they were not compensated.

They demanded that Rs500,000 death grant should be paid to the heirs of the deceased and the injured. They threatened that if their demands were not met then they would extend the protest to the entire district.

DEMAND: JUI-F leader Abdur Rehman Khattak has demanded reconstruction of the Rehmatabad-Sordag road.

He made the demand while addressing a press conference on Saturday. He said the people had long been demanding reconstruction of the road as the traders of Karak used the artery to bring commodities from Bannu. Mr Khattak demanded reconstruction of the road instead of its

repair as it had been destroyed beyond repair. He threatened that if the demand was not met then the people of Sordag and Latamber would take to the streets.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2017