BAJAUR: The residents of Chamarkand area here on Saturday agreed to end boycott of the anti-polio campaign after a delegation of elders and administration officials assured them of taking up the issue of removal of tehsil status for the region with the provincial authorities.

The delegation led by Bajaur additional deputy commissioner Naseer Khan and comprising Awami National Party provincial leader Sheikh Jan Zada, Malik Mohammad Umar and Malik Gulabdar Khan approached the Chamarkand elders to convince the tribesmen to end boycott of anti-polio campaign, according to a statement issued by the district administration.

The elders of Chamarkand, located along the Pak-Afghan border, pointed out that they had boycotted of the anti-polio drive in protest against the provincial government’s decision to withdraw the tehsil status of the region, given to it 45 years ago.

The elders said their area had been merged with the Nawagai tehsil, which was not acceptable to them.

The local elders, who had earlier announced not to administer polio drops to any child of the region till the government revoked its decision, agreed to withdraw their decision after the delegation informed them that the district administration had called a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue in detail.

The members of the delegation apprised the elders that the Tuesday’s meeting, which will be presided over by deputy commissioner Fahad Wazir, would also discuss the reopening of the border routes in the region.

Following the elders’ announcement to end boycott of the polio campaign, vaccinators visited the area and started immunising the children against the crippling disease.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2022