LOWER DIR: A roadside bomb targeted a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf local worker travelling in car, causing him injuries in Kolal Dherai area of Maidan here on Saturday, residents and the police said.

They said Ali Akbar alias Daggar was going to Kumbar in his car when the improvised explosive device exploded near the vehicle. As a result, he suffered minor injuries and the car was slightly damaged.

He was shifted to a local hospital, and was discharged after the first aid.

The police cordoned off the area and began a search operation to arrest the perpetrators.

CONTRACTORS AIR CONCERNS: Deputy commissioner Aun Haidar Gondal arranged an open kutcheri for government contractors at Balambat the other day.

The contractors appreciated the administration’s initiative to allow them to air their grievances about non-payment of dues. Contractors Ikramullah and Imran Takur informed the deputy commissioner that they had been demanding payment of dues for the development works carried between 2015 and 2018.

They said Malakand division was a tax-free zone but the government deducted seven per cent tax from them, and demanded its immediate abolition. They pointed out that several development projects were incomplete due to lack of funds, while the rates of building material had soared.

The deputy commissioner said he would take up the matter with the Malakand commissioner and the local lawmakers to ensure early payment of dues to the contractors.

After the assurance, the contractors’ association promised to end their boycott and restart work on the ongoing projects in Lower Dir.

MARRIAGE OF CHOICE: Prominent religious scholar and Jamaat-i-Islami provincial deputy chief Maulana Mohammad Ismail has said marriage of choice is the right of every women but the consent of their guardians is also compulsory.

He was addressing the participants on the fifth day of the ‘Tafheemul Quran’ class at the Timergara Rest House ground.

He said the main reason behind growing divorce incidence was non-observance of the Islamic principles in family life. He said Islam not only recognised women’s rights but also emphasised their implementation.

“Acting upon the injunctions of the Holy Quran is the only solution to problems facing the Muslims,” he said, adding economic system of Islam should be implemented and usury system abolished.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2021