MANSEHRA: Members of the Oghi tehsil council on Tuesday warned they would begin street protests if the provincial government didn’t release funds announced by the chief minister for local bodies across the province.
“Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced a special grant of Rs50 million for each tehsil council in the province but funds for Darband and Oghi councils are being withheld on political grounds,” tehsil council chairman Nawabzada Hassam said during a meeting.
The council, which met with convener Syed Arif Shah in the chair, passed a resolution demanding an unconditional apology from PML-N leader retired Captain Mohammad Safdar “accusing local government representatives of selling their consciousness by not voting for party leader Nawaz Sharif in the Feb 8 general elections.”
“We condemn and deny the horse-trading allegations from Captain Safdar against the chairmen of village and neighbourhood councils,” he said.
The other members, including Ijaz Ahmad, Malik Mian Baz, Mohammad Irfan, Yaseen Tanoli, Malik Noorul Amin, Ishaq Tanoli and Tahir Swati, urged the government to include health facilities from Oghi to offer free healthcare services to residents locally.
Mr Hassam also said the people of Oghi and Darband tehsil councils were deprived of development funds.
“Both tehsil councils, which also cover the vast areas of Tanawal and Agror, await development funds,” he said.
Several tehsil councillors who are also chairmen of their respective village and neighbourhood councils denounced the withholding of development funds for local bodies by the provincial government.
“We demand the funds and powers enshrined in the Local Government Act 2013, as the people who elected us are growing frustrated with this grassroots system in the province,” said a councillor.
KILLED: A sub-inspector of the National Highways and Motorways Police was killed and a head constable suffered critical injuries when a speeding car hit them on the Hazara Motorway in the Chinarkot area early on Tuesday.
“Both officials were struck down by the car when they’re repairing a faulty vehicle,” the motorway police said in a news release.
They added that both officials suffered injuries and were shifted to a nearby health facility but the doctors pronounced Ahmad dead and referred Malik to Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad due to critical condition.
The motorway police said the car driver was arrested by the police.
They said the body of the sub-inspector was sent to his native town of Garhi Habibullah after the completion of medico-legal formalities.
Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024
