BAJAUR: Residents of various areas of Utmankhel tehsil on Friday blocked the main Bajaur-Mardan Road to traffic for more than two hours to protest the delay in the completion of Khar-Arang Road.

The protesters blocked the highway near the police station in Khar town. A large number of people, mostly youth, political and social activists, participated in the demonstration.

The protesters pointed out that construction work on the nine-kilometre-long Khar-Arang Road was launched in 2019, but it was yet to be completed. They chanted slogans against the PTI elected members, including Anwarzeb Khan and Ajmal Khan, for failing to keep their word that the project would be completed by the end of July this year.

The protesters also included PTI activists, who lashed out at the provincial government for its silence over the delay in completion of the road project.

Jamaat-i-Islami district naib emir Haji Sardar Khan, ANP district chapter deputy general secretary Sayed Sadiq Akbar Jan, Arang village council chairman Zahoor Khan, PTI activists Ikram Khan, Fazal Khan and others addressed the protesters. They termed the delay in the road completion sheer injustice with the people.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2024