HARIPUR/KHYBER/CHITRAL: The members of Haripur tehsil council threatened on Tuesday to stage a sit-in outside parliament if federal government failed to announce National Finance Commission award with enhancement of allocation for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They also asked provincial government to fulfil its responsibilities and announce the already delayed Provincial Finance Commission award.

The tehsil council met with its convener Khanzeb Khan in the chair.

Tehsil chairman Samiullah Khan also attended the session.

Tehsil council members threaten to stage sit-in in Islamabad

The chairman of Malikyar village council, Malik Faisal Iqbal Khan, presented a resolution and demanded of federal government to announce NFC award with enhancement of allocations for KP.“Local governments will complete their three years next month but neither federal government nor provincial government has fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities, bringing the development wheel through local governments to halt.” said the resolution.

It said that the population and area of KP had increased manifold since 2017 but the province’s share in NFC was not enhanced. It urged federal government clear dues of KP on account of net hydel profit.

It also asked provincial government to announce PFC award without further delay. The resolution was unanimously approved and members of the council threatened to stage a sit-in outside parliament if their demands were not met.

In Khyber, members of Landi Kotal tehsil council demanded of provincial government to immediately release budget for local governments allocated by PFC.

In a meeting held in Jirga Hall with Shah Khalid Shinwari in the chair, they also unanimously demanded of federal government to fulfil its promise of allocating three per cent share from NFC for tribal districts.

They expressed dissatisfaction over delay in release of funds for local governments in tribal districts and regretted that they failed so far to execute a single development scheme in any locality.

They promised to provide maximum relief to consumers and keep a strict vigil on profiteers and hoarders during Ramazan. They also expressed displeasure over traffic congestion caused by loaded heavy vehicles taking goods to Afghanistan via Torkham border.

They demanded unconditional and immediate reopening of Torkham border, which remained closed for the fourth consecutive day due to tension between the two neighbouring countries over the construction of a controversial checkpost on Afghanistan side.

In Chitral, members of Chitral tehsil council demand of federal government to desist from withholding the share of KP to which it was entitled under NFC award.

In the meeting of the council, chaired by Fakhre Azam, the members said that owing to non-payment of its share by federal government, the provincial government had no money to provide to districts under PFC award. It rendered the local governments totally redundant, they added.

They also demanded end to power loadshedding during Ramazan. The meeting was addressed by Sajjad Ahmed Khan, Munir Ahmed Charwelu, Imran Khan, Wajeehuddin, Mohammad Rehman, Mufti Zameer, Abdul Hakeem Paswal, Manzoor Ahmed Khan and others.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2025