KHAR: At least three key posts in the Bajaur Agency political administration have been lying vacant for the last several months.

Official sources told this scribe on Thursday that these posts included that of additional political agent and two political tehsildars. They said that the post of additional political agent had been lying vacant since Sept 2016 after the previous official, Mohammad Ali Khan, was transferred from the agency. They said that absence of additional political agent had affected the routine work of the administration, especially monitoring of ongoing development activities in the agency.

The sources said that the posts of political tehsildar in Khar and Mamond tehsils were also vacant for the last couple of months.

A well-placed official said that the local administration was also concerned about the delay in filling these posts, as this was badly affecting routine work of the administration. He said that the administration was in close contact with the officials of Fata Secretariat to fill the vacant posts, but to no avail. He said that the administration had also informed the senior officials of Fata Secretariat about its problems owing to the vacant posts.

Meanwhile, residents of the agency said that they had been facing problems in getting their documents attested owing to the absence of authorised officials. They said that they had been visiting the civil colony in Khar for the last several weeks for attestation of their documents like CNIC forms and domiciles certificate, but there was no official to facilitate them in the offices of political tesildars.

KILLED: A man was shot dead by an unidentified assailant in Salarzai tehsil on Thursday.

Officials said that the incident took place in Mata Shah area and the victim was identified as Khan Zareen, a resident of Jandol in Lower Dir district. The Levies personnel have started search for the attacker.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2017