SHANGLA: Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs and Safron Amir Muqam has accused Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Shangla leadership of halting development projects initiated by him through the federal government.

The federal minister, who is also president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was speaking to reporters at his residence in Chagam, Puran, here the other day.

Opposition Leader in the KP Assembly Ibadullah Khan and PML-N local leaders were also present.

Mr Muqam claimed a jirga of PTI local leaders had gone to the chief minister to halt his road projects in Shangla.

Says striving to get funds okayed for Bisham expressway

“The ruling party distributed the public money among its workers under the guise of Ramazan and Eid packages, and it is the biggest example of their corruption in KP,” he claimed.

Replying to a question, the PML-N leader said a 132KV grid station in the district would be completed soon as work on it was underway. However, he said there were some issues in laying the transmission line and efforts to address them were continuing.

He said Bisham expressway was a long-term and substantial project. “I recently met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the project and he assured me that the government would ensure the provision of funds for the project,” he added.

Mr Muqam said it was a significant mega project, consisting of tunnels and connecting Swat with the Karakoram highway, CPEC and other routes.

“At a recent meeting, I pointed out the delay in floating of the tenders of the projects, which I launched in the district, to the chief minister,” PML-N KP chief said, adding that these projects were funded by the Asian Development Bank.

However, he said the chief minister told him that a PTI jirga from Shangla had come to him to request halting those projects.

The federal minister said he was striving for construction of the Chagharzai-Martung Road, besides the Kabalgram bridge connecting the Martung tehsil with the Torghar and other areas of Hazara division.

BOY DROWNS: A boy drowned in the Indus River in Shaga Banda area of Bisham here on Wednesday, the third day of Eidul Fitr.

According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Rasool Khan Sharif, after receiving an emergency call from the family, a divers’ team reached the site and launched operation to fish out the body. However, he said they could not recover the body till late evening on Wednesday.

He said the boy, 13, was a resident of Oghaz Banda, Battagram.

He said search for the body would resume on Thursday (today).

The rescue spokesperson said two minor boys drowned in the same locality a week ago, and body of one of them was recovered from Sarkol area of Chakesar tehsil.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2025