BAJAUR: The local leaders of Awami National Party have demanded reopening of border routes with Afghanistan and holding of local bodies’ elections in the tribal districts without further delay.

Addressing a news conference at Bajaur Press Club, ANP district president Gul Afzal Khan, general secretary Nisar Baz Khan, provincial joint secretary Shah Naseer Khan and Maulana Khanzeb said that extension of local government system to the tribal district was a central segment of the 25th Amendment to merge former Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, they said that local government system was not extended to the tribal districts even after passing of more than two and half years of the implementation of the 25th Amendment.

They alleged that government failed to even issue schedule for local bodies’ elections in the tribal districts. It seemed that rulers were not interested in extension of local government system to the region.

The ANP leaders said that unnecessary delay in holding of local bodies’ elections in tribal districts disappointed local people. They said that local government system was must for provision of basic facilities to people as well as for ensuring transparency in development projects in the region.

Asks authorities to reopen border routes with Afghanistan

They ANP leaders also expressed concerns over prolonged closure of border routs with Afghanistan. They said that there were several border routs in the districts but all of them had been closed since 2007 due to security reasons.

They asked the government to reopen all the routs in the region for trade activities without further delay.

SUICIDE: A student allegedly committed suicide in Almazo area of Mamond tehsil in Bajaur tribal district.

The locals and police said on Thursday that 15-year-old Sajad Ali Khan shot himself dead with a rifle in his house. They said that the deceased was 10th grader.

He died while being shifted to district headquarters hospital in Khar.

They said that the deceased had some mental issue for the last several weeks that could be the main cause of his extreme step. He belonged to an educated family and his parents had decided to shift him to Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2021