TIMERGARA: Supporting the government’s plan to bifurcate Malakand division, political activists in Lower Dir on Thursday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to name the proposed new division as Panjkora division with Timergara as its headquarters.

The activists from different political parties made this demand during a media forum. Former Balambat tehsil nazim and JI activist Imranuddin said that Malakand was the largest division and it should be bifurcated administratively.

He suggested that a new division with the name of Panjkora division should comprise Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Lower Chitral, Upper Chitral and Bajaur and Timergara be made its divisional headquarters. He said that the population of Dir, Chitral and Bajaur was over 3.9 million.

ANP’s Imran Takur said that the bifurcation would help decrease many problems being faced by the people and the administration.

Political activists suggest Timergara as headquarters of new division

PTI activist Ali Shah Mishwani said establishment of new division would boost tourism in its jurisdiction. He said that scenic spots like Laram Top, Shahi Bin Shahi, Sar Lara, Kumrat valley, Kalash valley and Broghil were all situated in the proposed Panjkora division.

PML-N district general secretary Sardar Javed Tajak said that Dir, Chitral and Bajaur were kept deprived of development in the past. He said these districts would see development if the government bifurcated the existing Malakand division. He said that the lawmakers from these districts should take up the issue with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

PPP’s Fazal Hussain said that Timergara was located in the centre of Dir, Bajaur and Chitral so it should be made divisional headquarters.

CONVENTION: Disgruntled workers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Lower Dir have convened a workers’ convention in Timergara rest house on Jan 5 against what they called nepotism in the party, exploitation of genuine workers and undemocratic drawing room decisions by local lawmakers.

Talking to this scribe, the convener and PTI former district general secretary Ali Shah Mishwani said that hundreds of genuine workers would express their reservations in the convention.

CRIME REVIEW: Lower Dir DPO Arif Shahbaz Wazir on Thursday said that the ratio of crimes and road accidents had decreased in the district during the last year.

Talking to this scribe here, he said that a total of 2,115 cases of different nature were registered by the Lower Dir police in 2019. The DPO said that the number of crime cases was 9,548 in 2016, 11,302 in 2017 and 7,219 in 2018.

The DPO said that a total of 384 proclaimed offenders were arrested during the last year. He said that 141 road accidents were reported during 2019 compared to 1,564 in 2018 and 3,644 in 2017.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2020