KARAK: Employees of the tehsil municipal administration, Karak, on Sunday called off their strike and restored the municipal services to the citizens after they were assured that their withheld salaries would be released soon.

The decision was made after negotiations with tehsil nazim Haji Abdul Wahab who assured them that their salaries would be paid from the development budget of the TMA.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday after successful negotiations with the TMA employees, Mr Wahab and the workers’ union president Intazar Gul claimed the municipal services would be restored to the citizens as the strike had been ended.

The tehsil nazim said he would cut the TMA development budget by Rs4 million for payment of withheld salaries to the employees, despite strong opposition from the tehsil councillors, to enable the municipal workers to celebrate Eidul Azha.

He demanded of the provincial government to release the withheld Rs40 million dues of TMA Karak.

Mr Wahab, however, said salaries would not be paid to the employees who had long been absent from duty.

MPA-ELECT REPRIMANDED: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Karak district president Hafiz Ibn-i-Ameen has taken notice of the statement of MPA-elect from PK-85, Karak-I, Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel, in which he criticised ulema for not supporting him in the last month’s general elections.

The JUI-F leader imposed ban on issuing of any statement by the party’s newly-elected two lawmakers from Karak, councillors and workers against the party’s policy.

Talking to mediapersons on Sunday, he said the party workers were hurt by the statement of the MPA-elect.

Mr Ameen resolved that Nisar Gul would be taken to task for his irresponsible statement.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2018