CHITRAL, Sept 14: MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali has called upon the government to ensure appointment of local people on grade-IV posts in the local office of the National Highway Authority (NHA). Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, he condemned the appointment of non-local people in the NHA’s local office to construct the Lowari tunnel and termed it a sheer injustice with the local people.

He said that the NHA authorities had terminated the services of local employees and replaced them by the residents of Punjab. As a result, he added, the sacked people had gone on hunger strike for the last four days and two of them had been admitted to a hospital.

Maulana Chitrali warned that in case of a loss of life as a result of the hunger strike, he would lodge an FIR against the NHA high-ups.

He said that the chairman NHA did not respond his telephone call repeatedly which showed that and did not dare to talk to him as he had no justification to sack the local employees.

He demanded action against the director of Lowari Tunnel Project for the sacking of the employees and reinstatement of the sacked employees.