KHAR: Bajaur Youth Jirga, which seeks reforms in the tribal areas, on Tuesday announced that it would extend full support to Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) to make its planned rally in Peshawar a success.

The decision was made during a meeting held here with its chairman Javid Khan in the chair.

The participants were briefed about the aims and purpose of PTM, that it was a non-political movement and was meant only to address the core problems and issues facing the Pakhtuns across the country.

The PTM was not against any government organisation or institution and only wanted to realise the rights of Pakhtuns in the country, especially in the tribal areas.

Following the briefing, the participants termed the movement a bold voice for the rights of Pakhtuns. They said the members of the youth jirga would not only extend full support to the PTM, but would also participate in its rally in Peshawar on April 8.

LAWMAKER ASSAILS GOVERNOR: PML-N MNA Shahabuddin Khan has expressed concern over the inordinate delay in launch of construction work on two degree colleges in the region and announced that he will hold a hunger strike camp in front of the Governor’s House in Peshawar if work on the projects is not initiated immediately.

Speaking to reporters in Pashat area of Salarzai tehsil, he also announced that he would boycott all official meetings and functions at the Governor’s House in protest against the undue delay in construction of colleges.

The lawmaker said construction of colleges approved by former governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Khan in Dec 2014 was scheduled to complete by end of 2016, but work on the projects could not even be initiated. Mr Khan alleged that establishment of degree colleges had been postponed on the directives of the incumbent governor.

Meanwhile, talking to a delegation of Bajaur Youth Jriga at his residence on Tuesday, the PML-N lawmaker lashed out at the federal government for delaying the Fata reforms.

He said the people of tribal areas had attached great expectations to the federal government to bring visible changes in the tribal system, but it had failed to even make a single reform in the colonial governance system in the region.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2018