LOWER DIR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA from PK-16 constituency Malik Shafiullah Khan on Saturday inaugurated work on the construction of a flyover at the Timergara Shaheed Chowk here.

The project is estimated to cost Rs1.61 billion.

PTI MNA Syed Mehboob Shah and party’s workers were also present at the inauguration ceremony.

Speaking to reporters at the press club after the ceremony, Mr Shafiullah said the flyover project, being executed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority, would be completed within 17 months.

He said the total length of the flyover, including 740-metre-long approach roads, would be 1.02 kilometres. The structure would comprise nine spans, while the slip roads would be 1.14 kilometres long with a width of 9.9 metres. Service roads on both sides would have a width of 5.5 metres, he added.

Lawmaker says project will promote tourism, economic activities in region

The MPA said the project would help resolve the persistent traffic congestion in Timergara city and would also prove a milestone for the promotion of tourism and economic activities in the region.

“This is not just a project for PK-16; people from Upper Dir and Chitral will also benefit from it,” he said. Shafiullah said though the contractor had yet to receive the formal work order, Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi had already earmarked Rs150 million for the project, which would allow construction work to begin soon.

Responding to questions, he said some important development schemes were delayed due to court cases, adding that the Timergara beautification project and Talash bypass would be completed at the earliest.

Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, MNA Mehboob Shah claimed that during the party’s tenure, Rs1.36 billion had been approved for gas projects in different areas of Lower Dir. However, he alleged that after the ouster of the Imran Khan-led government, political opponents were now inaugurating those same schemes.

MERIT LIST: Strong reactions have emerged over alleged changes to the merit list in teachers’ recruitment in Lower Dir, with affected candidates claiming marks allocated for BEd were increased from 15 to 20, pushing more than 400 candidates out of the contest.

Representatives of the affected candidates, including Ayaz Khan, Amir Rehman and Irfanullah, said over 400 vacancies for CT, DM and PET cadres were advertised through the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency, with marks for academic and professional qualifications clearly defined in the advertisement.

They said many candidates were included in the initially uploaded merit list, but a revised list was later issued in which BEd marks were increased, resulting in a large number of candidates losing their positions.

The candidates claimed that in the remaining 29 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, BEd carried 15 marks, while in Lower Dir the criteria was allegedly altered without prior notification to benefit certain individuals. They demanded the restoration of the earlier merit list.

However, deputy district education officer Mohammad Islam Khan rejected the allegations, saying the education department had not yet issued a final merit list.

He said all appointments would be made strictly on merit. He clarified that under a 2022 notification of the Higher Education Commission candidates who completed BEd after a master’s degree were to be treated as equivalent to MPhil and awarded 20 marks.

Mr Khan added the complainants had misunderstood a tentative list as the final merit list.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2026