KOHAT: A government negotiating team accepted all the 14 demands of a lawmakers’ jirga during the final rounds of talks on Tuesday, claims MPA Shahdad Khan.

The jirga had continued a protest sit-in for eight consecutive days in the Lachi tehsil led by MPs from Kohat, Karak and Hangu.

Shahdad Khan, a member of the jirga team, said formal announcement of the winding up of the sit-in after the successful talks would be made on Wednesday (today).

He told Dawn on phone that the government team accepted all the 14 demands put forward by them in the second and final round of talks.

He said project directors would be appointed in every district, who would spend 80 per cent of the royalty funds with the approval of the MPs.

He added heads of the exploration companies had committed to providing jobs to the locals.

Says decision about ending protest sit-in to be taken today

The MPA said a principled decision had been taken about setting up an oil refinery in Karak district to be constructed by the Frontier Works Organisation.

Similarly, he said the government team had agreed to start work on Gur Guri road within 15 days and release the Rs15 billion oil and gas royalty as early as possible.

The government team was represented by the law minister, the finance minister and the secretary, the home minister and heads of all oil companies.

Meanwhile, the members of the jirga’s negotiating team have been divided on the government decision of forming development authorities for three districts headed by bureaucrats instead of the elected representatives on spending the oil and gas royalty.

A member of the negotiating team, Amad Azam Advocate, told Dawn that the decision would open doors of corruption by making the commissioner and the deputy commissioners as heads of the development authorities tasked with spending the Rs15 billion royalty funds pending with the provincial government for last seven years.

FACILITIES SOUGHT FOR HOSPITAL: The district coordination council on Tuesday gave a 15-day ultimatum to the MPs to hold talks with its core committee about the provision of category-A facilities to the KDA Teaching Hospital.

The council was formed at a jirga attended by businessmen, lawyers, representatives of minorities, NGOs, journalists, leaders of political parties and MPA Shahdad Khan of JUI-F.

The council constituted various committees to deal with different issues.

The participants said if their demands were not met the government would be responsible for the consequences.

SHOPKEEPERS FINED: The Lachi tehsil administration on Tuesday imposed fine on five shopkeepers for not following SOPs to help prevent spread of Covid-19.

Assistant commissioner Mohammad Ali visited the bazaar to check quality and supply of food items and availability of petrol.

He also inspected implementation of SOPs at bus stands and in the passenger vehicles.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2020