SWABI: The weekly bazaar held every Thursday has been shifted from Mal Lara area to a new venue in Dara village here, elders and officials of the district administration said.

Asked about origin of the bazaar, they told this correspondent that during the British colonial period it was the only weekly bazaar in the entire region visited by people of the district and its periphery.

When contacted, the district administration officials said it was difficult to accommodate the increasing number of visitors at the old venue.

The visitors could buy a variety of food items such as gur, vegetable and fruits and numerous other commodities like shoes, cloth, blankets, etc comparatively on cheaper rates.

The elders said in old days the over 150-year-old bazaar was so famous that people would eagerly wait for it to buy various commodities.

“In fact, commodities are sold at cheaper rates in the bazaar providing relief to the inflation-hit people,” said 80-year-old Rahim Dad Khan of Maneri Bala.

Javid Khan of Buner district said that they regularly visited the weekly bazaar to buy commodities at low prices.

JIRGA FOR RIGHTS: The people of Topi, Batakara and Hemlet on Thursday formed a jirga to fight for their rights and electricity royalty, saying these areas had suffered due to the construction of Tarbela Dam.

Speaking on the occasion, Topi jirga’s former president Fazal Khaliq claimed that outsiders were employed in Tarbela Dam fifth extension project,while local people had been ignored.

Other speakers called for making a collective struggle for the rights of the people.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2022