BAJAUR: The prolonged delay in the completion of a road prompted residents of various areas of War Mamund tehsil to stage a demonstration here on Saturday.

Scores of people from different walks of life, belonging to a number of villages located along the under-construction Gatkai-Safari Road, participated in the demonstration held in the Gatkai area, the home town of PTI former MNA Gul Zafar Khan.

The participants, many of them youth, pointed out that construction work on the about five-kilometre road was inaugurated by Gul Zafar in 2019.

However, they alleged that work on the road, which was meant to link several hilly areas with rest of the region, was halted a few weeks after its inauguration.

The protesters, who chanted slogans against the former lawmaker and relevant authorities for failing to complete the road within the stipulated time, claimed the contractor had also removed machinery from the site several months ago.

The residents regretted the prolonged delay in road project despite the former lawmaker’s promise to ensure its completion as early as possible.

The protesters complained the unnecessary delay in the project’s completion had stressed them out. They said construction material remained scattered along both sides of the road, troubling the pedestrians and motorists alike.

The protesters warned of launching protests if work on the project was not resumed immediately.

The protesters, who had blocked the Gatki Chowk for a while, ended their demonstration after district administration officials met their leaders and assured them that work on the project would resume shortly.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025