KOHAT: The local residents, including transporters, have demanded reconstruction of the dilapidated Hangu Road and cleaning of the choked drains.

Talking to Dawn here on Saturday, Shakir Bangash, Jehanzeb Khan, Jamil Khan and others regretted that the residences of district development advisory committee chairman Ziaullah Bangash and chairman parliamentary committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi were located on the same road, but they had turned a blind eye to the bad condition of road.

A transporter, Bahram said they had to spend thousands of rupees on repair of vehicles every month due to the bad condition of road. He said road was in extremely bad shape from Muhammadzai village to Kohat city.

The residents appealed to the lawmakers to order immediate reconstruction of the road.

SEALED SHOPS: District development advisory committee chairman Ziaullah Bangash ordered the TMA on Saturday to immediately de-seal the shops leased out to people 35 years ago.

He issued the directives while speaking to members of the leaseholders’ association led by its president Faheem Shah.

Mr Bangash termed the sealing of shops injustice with the leaseholders.

Meanwhile, the leaseholders association demonstrated outside the Kohat Press Club against the sealing of their shops by the TMA. They said the TMA action was tantamount to their economic murder.

LAWYERS MEETING: The local lawyers on Saturday constituted ‘Jamiat Lawyers Forum’ with more than 150 senior advocates joining it.

The decision came at a meeting held at the hujra of Amad Azam Advocate, a lawyer of the Peshawar High Court.

The speakers said their movement would spread to other provinces under the leadership of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief.

Speaking on the occasion, former district nazim Seth Gohar Bangash said the success of JUI-F in the local body polls was clear proof that it had emerged as the most popular party in the province.

He observed that the PTI had no future in politics due to rampant corruption.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan, instead of paying attention to state’s affairs, wasted time in opposition bashing.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2022