SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: The residents of Khaisora, Faqir Raghzai and Ghot Khowa areas in Upper South Waziristan’s Tiarza tehsil staged a protest on Sunday against the communication and works (C&W) department, alleging massive corruption in a long-delayed road construction project.

The demonstrators claimed that a seven-kilometre road project aimed to connect their remote villages to main routes had remained incomplete for several years, despite the disbursement of substantial government funds. As a result, they said, the locals continued to face a lot of hardships during travelling.

According to sources, the project was approved a few years ago with an estimated cost of Rs280 million, and reportedly work on the road began two years ago, but the residents allege that very little construction work was carried out, perhaps to the tune of Rs8 million only. However, the C&W department allegedly released Rs180 million to the contractor, raising serious concerns about transparent use of the amount.

The locals described the current state of the road as deplorable, having unpaved stretches, potholes, and inadequate drainage, making it nearly impassable. Patients, students, and elderly are the worst affected by the poor road condition.

The protesters demanded immediate resumption of the road’s construction and called for a transparent, independent inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of the funds. They urged the authorities concerned to hold the contractor accountable, along with the XEN, SDO, and other project-related officials.

They have warned if their demands were not addressed promptly, they will hold more demonstrators including a sit-in outside the deputy commissioner’s office as well as the district and provincial level protests.

However, despite repeated attempts no official response from senior C&W officials could be obtained till filing this report.

The protesters also criticised their elected representatives, saying they neither visited the site nor showed any interest to address the situation.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2025