MANSEHRA: A jirga attended by tribesmen, clerics and local government representatives on Sunday announced plans to launch a protest movement and, if necessary, move the court of law if the government failed to revoke its notification regarding the takeover of forests in Torghar district.

“Our forest land is spread over 21,000 acres and belongs to local tribes for centuries, but the government has issued a notification to take its possession, which is unacceptable to us,” local elder Amir Zada Khan told the jirga held in Oghi.

Through unanimously adopted resolution, Anwar Saeed Khan, Maulana Shah Zamin, Sarwar Khan, Attaullah Shah, Raul Amin and other speakers demanded of the government to immediately withdraw its notification regarding the takeover of forests in the district.

“The tribal area of Torghar was granted the status of a settled district through a presidential order in 2011, but that does not mean the government can take over our centuries-old forests and other natural resources,” Anwar Saeed Khan said.

Jirga asks govt to withdraw notification

He said the forests were the only source of firewood and timber used by local residents for construction of houses and cattle pens. “The forest department has deprived major tribes of their ownership rights over forests and this injustice should end without further delay,” Attaullah Khan said.

He said that people from all major tribes were consulting each other on challenging the government’s decision in a court. “The committee constituted by the government to address forest-related issues has already completed its report, but local people are still being deprived of their legal rights,” Mr Khan said.

Another elder, Raul Amin, said that a delegation would also meet the forest secretary to seek lifting of the ban on cutting firewood and timber used for the construction of houses.

HEALTH EMPLOYEES TERMINATED: The director general Health Services, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has terminated around 50 employees of various cadres who were allegedly appointed after paying bribes of Rs1 million each to a clerk in Lower Kohistan in 2022.

The DG Health issued termination orders the other day, directing the district health officer (DHO) of Lower Kohistan to ensure that the employees concerned no longer perform duties in health facilities across the district.

He also directed the DHO to take up the matter with the district accounts office in Lower Kohistan to stop the release of future salaries to those employees and recover all payments already made to them.

Sources in the Kohistan health department said the government had constituted an inquiry committee headed by Dr Aurangzeb with Dr Attaullah as a member after the allegations surfaced that around 50 employees had secured appointments by paying Rs1 million each in bribes to a clerk.

The committee, sources added, had completed its inquiry in 2024 and submitted its report to the health department, but the government initiated punitive action against those involved recently.

A group of job seekers in Lower Kohistan welcomed the government’s move to terminate the services of employees allegedly appointed through fraudulent means and recover the salaries paid to them since 2022.

“Although the health department took years to initiate action against those fraudulently appointed, depriving local youth of their right to employment, we still welcome the move and hope that all vacant posts will now be filled without further delay,” Saifur Rehman, a resident, told reporters.

Leading a group of job seekers, he said that when the scam was exposed in 2024, people had taken to the streets against the clerk and others allegedly involved in the appointments and the latter (the clerk) was subsequently dismissed from service.

“The government should immediately start the recruitment process for all vacant posts so that unemployed youth can get jobs and quality healthcare services can be provided to patients in this remote district,” Mr Rehman said.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026