LOWER DIR: The government and Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) should withdraw the decision to charge overseas Pakistanis and the people going abroad for booster dose against Covid-19, said Jamaat-i-Islami’s president overseas Pakistanis, Haji Ameer Zaman, on Sunday.

Talking to mediapersons in Talash here, he said the overseas Pakistanis had already been suffering hard for the last two years due to the pandemic, restrictions and unemployment.

He criticised the government and the NHS ministry for the decision to vaccinate overseas Pakistanis and charge them Rs1,270 per booster dose.

He said the government should have provided the overseas Pakistanis with free of cost booster dose if it was essential for their travel abroad. Mr Zaman said the government decision would put additional burden on the people going abroad.

He said the government should instead raise the issue with the WHO and convince it to secure acceptance of foreign travel for those who had been administered the Chinese vaccines.

ADENZAI JIRGA: Adenzai Qaumi Jirga, a body of local political leaders and area elders, has warned to stage a sit-in protest in Islamabad and also move a court if the killers of one Sajid Khan are not arrested within two weeks.

The warning came here the other day during a meeting of the jirga held at Chakdara with its president advocate Khurshid Ali Khan in chair. The deceased Sajid Khan, son of Abdur Rehman, was killed when the Hazro police in Attock allegedly opened fire on him on July 2.

The jirga complained that the Attock police were reluctant to arrest the killers.

The participants said the people of Adenzai were fully supporting the victim’s family.

PML-N MEETING: Scores of political activists from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, ANP and JI announced to quit their parties and joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz during a function held at Khaima here the other day, with party’s district president Farooq Iqbal in the chair.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party’s provincial president Najamuddin Khan was warmly welcomed at Chakdara on his arrival to his native district here on Sunday.

Party’s local leaders and workers took Mr Najmuddin to Timergara and then Upper Dir in a big vehicular procession. The road from Chakdara to Timergara was decorated with party flags and welcoming banners.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2021