KHYBER: The tribal elders of Khyber took Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud to task on Thursday in Landi Kotal when they expressed their serious reservations over the merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They alleged during a function that corruption had increased manifolds in all the government departments in the tribal districts after the merger.

Malak Abdur Razzaq, a Zakhakhel elder, in his emotional outburst against the merger said that they had opposed ‘tooth and nail’ the merger plan from the very beginning and would continue its opposition as it was forcefully imposed on the tribal people against their wishes.

He alleged that corruption had increased manifolds in all the government departments and even those, who had been advocating the merger, were now regretting their decision as they were paying a heavy price for a plan, which deprived tribal people of their liberty and customs.

Official promises to convey their grievances to relevant quarters

The elder said that the miseries of tribal people were increasing by every passing day while the government failed to implement the merger plan in totality. “The focus is more on establishing police stations rather than fully converting the previous khasadar and Levies into regular police.

Facilities at government schools and hospitals are also on the decline instead of improving after the merger,” he said.

When a traditional turban was presented to the commissioner at the beginning of the function, Malak Waris Khan, another elder from Shalobar tribe of Bara, said that if the tribal turban was so respectful to present it to guests and government officials then why the tribal elders were deprived of their role in the new setup by stopping their perks and privileges.

Muqtadir Shah, a local Jamaat-i-Islami leader, came to the rescue of the government by saying that holding of local government elections for the first time in merged districts was a ‘fruit’ of the merger plan.

He also chided Malak Abdur Razaq for his criticism of the merger and questioned as to why his relative was contesting local government elections when he himself was opposed to it.

The commissioner said in his address that he would convey the grievances of all the stakeholders to the relevant government officials for prompt resolution.

He directed the deputy commissioner to present to him a detailed report about all the complaints made to him including anomalies in health and education departments in particular within 10 days.

Mr. Mehsud later met the protesting Khugakhel tribesmen and invited them to his office for detailed talks about their differences over the construction of a custom terminal at Torkham border.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2021