SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Members of the Wana tehsil council on Monday accused the tehsil chairman of committing corruption in collection of local taxes and of sidelining them in the decision making process.

The remarks came during a news conference held at the District Press Club, Wana.

Wana councillors’ alliance president Qamar Abbas Wazir said that the council had been empowered to oversee taxation matters and formulate local policies in Lower South Waziristan.

Mr Abbas, however, alleged that tehsil chairman Maulana Saleh Wazir had sidestepped the council’s role throughout the past three and a half years. “The people elected us to represent them, yet their issues are not being taken seriously by the chairman,” he said.

He also accused the tehsil chairman of not issuing the notification of the election of the opposition leader. He said the opposition leader was a critical post keeping a check on the financial and administrative matters of the council.

He said that members had approached the chairman’s residence on several occasions to do the needful, but to no avail. “The chairman and the tehsil municipal officer are deliberately creating obstacles, which has paralysed the council’s functioning,” he added.

Mr Abbas urged the district administration, IG-FC (South), and other relevant authorities to immediately look into the matter.

He also alleged irregularities in the collection of local taxes, and called for making the tehsil chairman accountable for it.

He warned that if the matters were not fixed, the tehsil council members would be compelled to launch a protest movement.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2025