SHANGLA: The local elders and civil society members have resented the handing over of the newly-built Jirga Hall to the Alpuri tehsil council and warned that they would stage street protests against it.

The warning came after tehsil council chairman said in a statement that the Jirga Hall had been declared the tehsil council’s premises for holding sessions.

The elders said the hall was built with the funds allocated by former district nazim Niaz Ahmad Khan in 2016 and was meant for holding public meetings of district elders.

Senior ANP leader and former candidate for PK-23 election Mutawakil Khan told Dawn the hall was constructed by the former district government for the people of Shangla and not for the PTI’s tehsil chairman.

Mr Khan said a resolution was unanimously passed by the district council in 2016 for the Jirga Hall to be used for public meetings and events.

Resident Saeed Farooq said the residents won’t allow the PTI chairman and deputy commissioner to consider the Jirga Hall as the tehsil council premises as its handing over to the local body was an attempt to occupy it.

Former district council member from Maira Hayat Khan said the tehsil council had its council hall at the tehsil municipal administration’s offices and it was one of the council’s completed mega projects.

When contacted, tehsil council chairman Waqar Ahmad Khan said the hall had been given to the council after the dissolution of the district tier of the LG system.

He said the number of council members had gone up, so he requested the deputy commissioner to declare the Jirga Hall its premises for holding sessions.

The chairman said the building could be used for jirga and other meetings by stakeholders.

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2022