SWAT: The residents of Mingora on Saturday complained about shortage of staff in the local post office.

“Till a few years ago the post office was fully functional with 15 staff members offering all the services to the city dwellers, including postal, money transfer and payment of utility bills, but presently it has only four staffers,” said Fazal Rabi Rahi, a local resident, adding of the total staff two were postmen. He said two postmen for a population of over 500,000 people were not enough.

The residents said three other branches of the Pakistan Post in different parts of Mingora had been closed down.

“The post office at the Green Chowk offers only limited services, as a result, the people are now availing private courier services,” local Mohammad Amjad said, adding the post office building was also in bad shape.

“Till a few years ago Saidu Sharif was the divisional headquarters of the Pakistan Post with a proper building, but it had been shifted to a rented building in Batkhela for unknown reasons,” said resident Saeed ur Rehman

The people demanded of the government to appoint the required staff to the post office, and also set up branches in other parts of Mingora.

When contacted, MNA Saleem-ur-Rehman told Dawn that he would discuss the issue with federal minister for communications and postal services Murad Saeed.

ACTION SOUGHT AGAINST DRUGGISTS: The local chapter of Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA) has demanded of the government to take action against the medical stores owners for forcibly closing their pharmacies during a recent protest demonstration against a drug inspector.

Talking to mediapersons the other day, PPA district president Dr Iftikhar Shah, general secretary Dr Ayaz Khan, vice-president Dr Sahib Shah, and others said that on Tuesday last medical store owners staged a protest against the alleged misbehaviour of a drug inspector during checking of the medical stores. They said the pharmacists association did not shut their pharmacies in the best public interest.

But the protesters forcibly got the pharmacies closed and also damaged fronts of some stores, they lamented, saying afterwards they met with the assistant and additional assistant commissioners, but no action was taken against the erring people.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2020