KOHAT: Mohammad Saleem Khan, Commissioner of the Right to Public Services Commission, a statutory body established under an Act of the provincial assembly, has said the commission is widening its scope to 30 departments for provision of better services to people.

He was addressing a ceremony held at the Kohat University of Science and Technology here the other day to distribute prizes among the best performing officers of the first quarter.

Mr Saleem pointed out that in any civilised society demanding better governance was the basic right of people. He said the government had set the goal of increasing the service delivery.

The function was also attended by district development advisory committee chairman Ziaullah Bangash, Kohat division commissioner Javed Marwat, deputy commissioner Roshan Mehsud and officials of different departments.

LAND OCCUPATION: The owners of thousands of acres of land in Pir Ghamkol, Pirkhel, Masoorkhel and Junglekhel, who had given their land to Afghan refugees in the early 80s, have denounced its ‘occupation’ by the internally displaced persons.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, president of the landowners’ association Syed Majid Falook Bokhari Advocate alleged that influential tribesmen were making allotments and transfers on simple papers with the connivance of the revenue department officials.

He said the Afghan Commissionerate had taken the land from the owners for settlement of Afghans who, he alleged, had sold the land to tribesmen before leaving for their homeland.

He said the owners had not received a penny as rent promised by the government at that time.

Mr Bokhari said he had raised the issue with deputy commissioner Roshan Mehsud, but the latter took the plea that the occupants of the property were the legal heirs.

Meanwhile, a girl student of a private school died after she was hit by a vehicle while crossing a road on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2022