LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Tuesday alleged that sugar, flour and petrol mafias were controlling the government, due to which, it had failed to drive the country out of the multiple crises.

Talking to Dawn on phone, he said 140,000 overseas Pakistanis wished to return home, but due to presence of ‘corrupt elements’ in the Pakistan International Airlines and inflated air tickets they had been stranded abroad. “Overseas Pakistanis have always supported the government whether it is construction of dams or mitigating effects of natural disasters,” Mr Haq said, adding the government now had left them in the lurch.

He said the JI had raised the issues of overseas Pakistanis in both the houses of the parliament, but the rulers had kept silence on the matter.

The JI chief demanded of the government to announce interest-free loans for returning Pakistanis so they could start their own businesses in the country. He also demanded of the government to bring back all the overseas Pakistanis waiting for their repatriation.

Mr Haq said consumers were forced to stand in long queues for getting petrol outside filling stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a time when fuel prices had dropped drastically.

The JI chief alleged that elements involved in the sugar scam and petrol shortage were not brought to book.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT: Lower Dir deputy commissioner Saadat Hassan on Tuesday directed the heads and focal persons of government departments to remain on high alert to cope with possible flooding during the coming monsoon rains.

He was chairing a meeting of the district disaster management body in Balambat.

The participants discussed the possibility of flash floods in various parts of the district during the monsoon season.

On the occasion, Saadat Hassan said the National Disaster Management Authority had issued warning about possible flooding during the monsoon. He asked the heads of government departments to nominate focal persons and take the matter seriously in order to avert any untoward incident.

He said a district control centre would be established to ensure coordination among various departments. He said disciplinary action would be taken against the negligent officials.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2020