MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Monday warned the provincial government against annexing three union councils to the newly-notified Tanawal tehsil here.

“People of Lassan Thakral, Jallu and Behali union councils have refused to be part of the newly-notified tehsil [Tanawal], so the provincial government should respect their opinion and act accordingly,” PPP district president Malik Mumtaz told reporters.

He said thathis party and residents of all those UCs were not opposed to the establishment of Tanawal as the sixth tehsil of the district, but they won’t accept their inclusion in it and would rather resist it.

“These UCs have been part of Mansehra tehsil since the district’s creation, but vested interests are conspiring to include them in the newly-notified tehsil, which we all will foil,” he said.

Warns residents will resist any such move

Mr Mumtaz said thatthose UCs had easy access to Mansehra town, so any move to include them in Tanawal would force residents to travel nearly three times the distance to reach the proposed tehsil headquarters Pulrah, which lacks essential facilities.

Meanwhile, the Pulrah police seized a large cache of arms and ammunition during a search and strike operation in the area.

Deputy superintendent of police Gulzar Khan told reporters that the operation, led by SHO Jan Nisar Khan on the orders of the district police officer, led to the recovery of Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, guns, and ammunition.

He said thatthe police were actively performing their duties to eliminate crimes.

“Our operation will continue until all proclaimed offenders are arrested and brought to justice,” he said.

The DSP also said thatwomen constables were also part of the search and strike operation.

TRANSPORT CHAOS: Residents have complained about the outdated and poorly maintained wagon service in Mansehra, saying it is a major contributor to traffic jams and reckless driving in the city and its suburbs, leading to accidents.

Regular commuter Mohammad Jabran told Dawn that the area lacked a modern transport system.

He said that wagons operated in the area without obtaining fitness certificates or following traffic rules, throwing traffic in a chaos.

The commuter said thatthe wagon service from the main bus terminal (Lari Adda) through the city to Ghazikot Township was a major cause of traffic mess in the city and its suburbs.

He insisted that most wagon drivers disregarded rules and drove recklessly, endangering their and other road users’ lives.

The other commuters claimed that wagon drivers often recklessly raced to pick up passengers, flouted traffic laws, and argued with them.

They said that the motor vehicles examiner, who was responsible for issuing permits to those drivers, was indifferent to their issues.

“We are overcharged though wagons are in deplorable condition, with broken seats, doors and windows. Abrupt braking makes us feel really unsafe,” commuter Mohammad Waqar said.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2024