TANK: Mehsud tribesmen of South Waziristan tribal district organised a big rally on Monday to protest delay in a survey of the damaged houses in the former tribal area.

The protesters accompanied by drumbeaters marched from Pathar Adda to the Wazirabad locality, raising slogans and demanding payment of compensation of the damaged houses. The rally culminated into a public gathering at the FC ground.

The public meeting was addressed by MNA Maulana Jamaluddin, MPA Hafiz Assamuddin, PTI district president Afsar Khan, and others.

The speakers said the Mahsud tribal people had rendered unmatched sacrifices and migrated from their area to let the security forces flush the terrorists from the region, but in return they were disappointed.

They alleged that the officials had started their own businesses with the compensation money of their damaged houses, and they were compelled to visit offices and stand in long queues to receive the compensation cheques.

They said the banks also delayed encashment of the cheques as they earned profits from the deposits.

The protesters said that mistakes were deliberately made in the survey of the damaged houses. The delay in clearance of compensation cheques also delayed reconstruction of the damaged houses, they deplored.

The Mehsud tribals reiterated that the protest camp set up by the displaced tribesmen would continue until their demands were met.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2020