MANSEHRA: The nazims of village and neighbourhood councils in Oghi, Mansehra and Balakot tehsils have announced they will lock their offices from Aug 21 against reduction in development and non-development budget of the current and the previous years.

“We are unanimous in observing strike and locking our offices in all three tehsils of Mansehra district (Mansehra, Balakot and Oghi) against the PTI government over the drastic reduction in our funds during the last and current financial years,” nazim of Channia neighbourhood council Mohammad Fareed told reporters after a meeting of nazims from across the district.

Earlier in a meeting, the nazims from Mansehra, Balakot and Oghi tehsils decided to go on strike and close offices from Aug 21. Mr Fareed said the nazims would also take rallies against the government for being hell-bent on failing the local government system in the province.

Safada village council nazim Basharat Ali Swati, who was also present on the occasion, said the village and neighbourhood nazims would also send the respective secretaries back to the local government department over a lack of expertise and inability to serve visitors.

“The government reduced development funds of our councils by 70 per cent in current and last years and therefore, we have no salary and non-development budget,” he said.

Oghi village council nazim Ghulam Mohammad said the PTI government claimed that the local government system in the province was a big success, but the fact was that the government was trying to derail the system.

“We’re without honorarium, office rent and overhead expenses. Under such circumstances, how we can serve people,” he said.

BILAWAL DUE ON 19TH: Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will arrive in Mansehra on Aug 19 to address a public meeting.

PPP Hazara divisional president Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah told reporters here that the party’s workers and leaders were busy holding meetings and rallies across Hazara division to invite more and more people to attend a historic public meeting to be addressed by Mr Bilawal.

He said the PPP would emerge as the biggest party in Hazara division in the next elections.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2017