KHYBER: Elected councillors from Jamrud tehsil held a protest demonstration at the historic Bab-i-Khyber on Wednesday against delay in provision of development funds to them.

Speaking on the occasion, Bara tehsil chairman Said Nawab and chairman Muttahidda Azad Panel Shahid Khan Afridi alleged the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was doing an injustice to the newly-elected councils in merged districts as these were deliberately kept powerless and without funds.

They further alleged the provincial government had not only curtailed the powers of local governments but was also depriving them of their legitimate role as true representatives of tribal people.

They said almost all tehsil chairmen were without offices, while they were unable to carry out development schemes for want of funds. They said the local government system, an important pillar of the merger plan, could not stand on its own feet due to the ‘indifferent’ attitude of the provincial government.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2022