KARAK: The local government’s representatives and rights organisations on Thursday announced that they supported the tribes of the Shnawa Guddikhel Union Council against the crackdown of the Frontier Constabulary on illegal gas connections here on the call of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and demanded an immediate end to the action and provision of ‘lawful’ gas to the people.

The announcement was made during an emergency meeting of the ‘Karak Loya Jirga’.

Jirga district president Sharif Khattak chaired the event, where the local tribal elders showed up in large numbers. The participants condemned

the firing on the residents of Monakhel by the FC personnel and demanded an end of operation without delay.

They held the personnel of the SNGPL responsible for gas theft in the district and complained that the company was not ready to provide legal gas connections to the people across the district.

The participants said the people would regularly pay gas bills if the company provided them with lawful gas connections and increase gas pressure.

They said the people had got illegal gas connections as the SNGPL had failed to provide them with legal gas connections.

Also in the day, a jirga of the elders of Shnawa Guddikhel Union Council here demanded judicial enquiry into the Monakhel firing incident, which had left two people injured.

It also demanded halt to action against illegal gas connections until the people are provided with lawful gas connections.

The jirga warned that the people would resist the crackdown.

ROAD INAUGURTED: Tehsil nazim Karak Haji Abdul Wahab on Thursday inaugurated a road in Kandokhel area here. The local residents accorded a warm welcome to the nazim during his visit to the area.

The nazim claimed that Rs4 million had been spent on the road.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018