SWAT/LOWER DIR: The local government employees continued protesting on Friday against relief and rehabilitation minister Mohammad Iqbal Wazir for his alleged attack on the office of directorate general local government and rural development department (LG&RDD) in Peshawar on Dec 23 over a recruitment issue.

The protesters were led by senior assistant director of local government Dr Sardar Mulk, assistant director, Barikot, Gohar Ali Khan and president of all secretaries’ village councils’ association (ASVCA), Swat chapter, Ahmed Khan.

The protesters holding banners and placards marched from Gulkada and gathered in front of Swat Press Club. They shouted slogans against the minister and strongly condemned his ‘mishandling’ of local government employees.

They said the local government employees always respected others and expected the same from them.

They said the provincial minister should apologise to the local government employees. The protesters vowed to continue their strike until action was taken against the minister.

Meanwhile, the ASVCA on Friday continued its protest against the provincial minister in Lower Dir.

The association’s district president Salahuddin and assistant director local government department Amir Nizam Durrani, while addressing the protesters at Balambat, said the civil secretariat had issued a notification regarding regularisation of Community Driven Local Development (CDLD) project employees and merged them into the LG&RDD to create a rift among village council secretaries and their high-ups.

They said the village council secretaries and the department high-ups were on the same page, and such acts could not create divisions among them.

Mr Salahuddin said the village council secretaries had moved court against the merger of CDLD employees and the matter was sub-judice.

He said all offices of village and neighbourhood councils in Lower Dir and all other districts would remain closed till the minister was de-notified and legal action was initiated against him.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2022