BAJAUR: The elders and political and business leaders of Bajaur tribal district here on Saturday described the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s performance as unsatisfactory and called for taking pragmatic steps for the swift and sustainable development of the merged districts.

They were speaking at the consultative session on merged districts.

It was arranged by the provincial government at the Jirga Hall in Civil Colony, Khar, and attended by people from different walks of life.

Provincial ministers Anwar Zeb Khan and Mohammad Iqbal Wazir, CM’s adviser Khaliqur Rahman, MPA Ajmal Khan, deputy commissioner Iftikhar Alam and senior officials of various departments were also in attendance.

Ministers, CM aide attend consultative session in Bajaur

PTI MPA Ajmal Khan said the session was being held to take all the stakeholders of the district onboard on the government’s development plan.

Prominent tribal elders Malik Bahadar Shah, Malik Mohammad Nawaz, PTI district president Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bajaur Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Haji Lali Shah and others spoke on the occasion.

They complained that the people of Bajaur did not see any mega development projects in the district since the merger of tribal districts with the province in 2018.

They urged both the federal and provincial governments to fulfil their commitments about development of the merged districts.

The speakers said lack of health and education facilities and proper roads and closure of Pak-Afghan border routes for bilateral trade were the main issues of the district.

Some of them also criticised the government for delay in recruitment of the proposed over 27,000 police personnel in tribal districts.

Addressing the meeting, the ministers and CM’s adviser said that the provincial government was committed to the development of tribal districts and all possible means were being used to ensure provision of basic facilities to the residents.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS: Local political leaders andstudents’ representatives have expressed concern over the fact that around 1,600 students who recently passed their secondary school certificate exams had been deprived of admissions in the first year classes owing to shortage of seats in government colleges in Bajaur district.

Addressing a joint press conference in Bajaur Press Club the other day, ANP district general secretary Nisar Baz Khan, All Bajaur Students Federation president

Sakhi Bahadar, postgraduate college, Khar, president Abbas Khan and others

called for taking instant steps to enrol maximum number of students in the current session.

They said the government should make functional the five higher secondary schools, which had been non-functional due to absence of staff.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2021