CHITRAL: The negahbans (plant keepers) engaged by the wildlife department for the Billion Tree Tsunami afforestation programme in upper Chitral have demanded the immediate payment of the salary withheld for two years.

They warned that they would march on Islamabad to stage a sit-in outside the Parliament House if their demand wasn’t met.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, Negahbans Association, Upper Chitral, president Mohammad Nabi Khan and other leaders said the negahbans were engaged by the wildlife department for the mass plantation campaign in June 2016 and that they planted and protected hundreds of thousands of plants.

They said they got salary in the first six months but no payment was made thereafter despite performing the assigned tasks.

The association leaders said most negahbans used to earn double the amount they were paid by the wildlife department when they used to work at construction sites.

They complained that they and their family members were troubled by the nonpayment of salary.

The association leaders said when they went on strike in last June, the assistant commissioner of Mastuj promised them the salary payment within seven days but the promise turned to be false.

EDUCATION COMPLEX: District nazim Chitral Maghfirat Shah has said his government will avail itself of all available options for establishing the Special Education Complex in the area and will even contact international nongovernmental organisations for it.

He was addressing a function held at the Centre for Mentally Retarded and Physically Handicapped Children (CMR&PHC) here on Saturday.

The nazim said though the district government had tried its best to resolve the day-to-day issues of the institution, funds weren’t available for its up-gradation.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2018