LAKKI MARWAT: The militancy-hit Shah Hasankhel village here could not get the status of a model village as promised by then rulers despite lapse of eight years.

On January 1, 2010, over 100 villagers were killed when a suicide bomber had blown up his double door pickup truck in the middle of a volleyball ground where a final match was underway between two local teams.

The eighth anniversary of the victims of Shah Hasankhel blast is being observed today (Monday).

During a visit to the village a few days after the blast then chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti of Awami National Party had announced an uplift package and promised to give the status of model village to Shah Hasankhel. He had also promised construction of a sports complex, roads, schools and water supply schemes and provision of funds for other projects. However, these uplift projects could not be initiated during the ANP government.

Village council nazim Abdul Malik said that Mr Hoti had promised construction of sports complex and provision of jobs to youths in police and Frontier Constabulary. However, he said that all the promises proved hollow.

Over 100 people were killed in a blast in Shah Hasankhel village on Jan 1, 2010

He said that the PTI government had also ignored the residents of Shah Hasankhel village in uplift schemes. MPA Munawar Khan said that he had repeatedly raised the issues of Shah Hasankhel villagers in the assembly, but to no avail.

The residents said that their village still lacked basic health facilities. They demanded of the government to build a sports complex at the blast site and provide employment to the local youth, as promised by the previous ANP government.

WOLF SEIZED: A team of wildlife department with the help of local police seized a wolf from a guest house in Adamzai area here on Sunday.

Divisional forest officer, Bannu, Khan Malook told mediapersons that the team raided the hujra of one Ihsanullah and recovered a big wolf from there. He said the wolf was captured by local people a few days ago when it attacked their animals in Adamzai area.

He said that the wolf had been shifted to Wildlife Park located near Kurram Bridge.

Meanwhile, the district police authorities agreed to provide a place to the retired police personnel for establishment of office at the police lines in Tajazai. The meeting in this regard was attended by DPO Arif Shehbaz, DSP Afsar Khan, retired DSPs Bashar Khan and Nawaz Khan and a number of retired police officials.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2018