MANSEHRA: The strike of patwaris (revenue officials) against the anti-corruption establishment has entered third week forcing residents to threaten agitation.

The residents complained that the strike had adversely affected matters on land mutation, litigation and documents preparation.

“Three weeks have passed since patwaris went on strike but the government is not taking it seriously matter. The strike has hampered the preparation of domicile certificates for our children, who need it for college admission,” trader Mohammad Hanif Qureshi told reporters on Thursday.

He said admissions to schools and colleges in Hazara division were set to begin and therefore, students required domicile certificates along with other documents.

“Though we have nothing to do with the patwaris’ strike, it is wasting our children’s precious time. If the government doesn’t address the patwaris’ issues, we will take to the streets,” he said.

The residents also complained that the strike had also hampered the sale and purchase of land and marriage functions and thus, causing huge losses to the revenue department.

They said hearing into cases mostly of disputed lands had been facing delays as patwaris didn’t appear before courts.

The residents said the government earned huge revenue through the sale and purchase of land by people.

“We don’t want people to suffer due to our strike but the provincial government seems not serious about meeting our demand i.e. quashing of FIR against patwaris in Nowshera and action against violence by ACE officials,” president of All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Patwarian Sarfraz Abbasi said.

BY-POLL: The district administration has declared the most sensitive 53 polling stations of PK-30 constituency for the Feb 26 by-election.

“We have taken precautionary measures against untoward situation on the polling day,” additional deputy commissioner Yasir Khan told reporters after a meeting of law- enforcement agencies here on Thursday.

The meeting was attended among others by SP Mukhtar Khan, district election commissioner Aziz Bahadar, and representatives of other law-enforcement agencies.

The ADC said a total of 186 polling stations had been set up for the by-election across the constituency, which is mostly located in Balakot tehsil.

He said besides police, 1,200 army personnel would also be deployed in and outside polling stations. “The returning officers can exercise the magistrate’s powers to ensure free, fair and transparent election,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2019