KHAR: The PML-N activists in Bajaur Agency at a meeting on Friday criticised the party’s central and provincial leadership for not visiting the tribal areas to address problems being faced by the people and party workers.

Besides party office-bearers, senior leaders and workers from different areas of the agency also attended the meeting held here with local chapter president Rahat Yousaf in the chair. However, they agreed to participate in the party’s public meeting in Peshawar on Sunday (tomorrow) which would be addressed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Most of the participants flayed their senior leadership for not taking any step for the welfare of people and party workers in the tribal areas. They claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had lost the support of tribal people after the federal government’s failure to fulfil its commitment about the development of Fata and delay in implementation of reforms.

Some of the participants also criticised the party’s local lawmaker for ignoring them in development schemes and not visiting the agency to meet the workers. They said that PML-N was the only party which did not arrange even a single public meeting in the region after the 2013 general election.

After assurances by the local leaders to tackle their grievances, the workers announced to participate in the party’s public meeting in Peshawar.

ARRESTED: A team of officials of the local administration and Levies force has arrested three alleged drug dealers and seized a big quantity of narcotics from them in Pahsat area of Salarzai tehsil.

Assistant political agent Arif Khan told mediapersons the other day that action was taken after complaints from local people about increase in drug abuse in the region. He said that a big quantity of hashish and poppy was recovered from the shops of arrested dealers who had been shifted to Khar jail for interrogation.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2018