TIMERGARA, Feb 13: Provincial Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Hidayatullah has said that the people of Lower Dir will again vote for Awami National Party as it had fulfilled all promises made before coming to power.

He was addressing a function at the district council hall the other day.

Mr Hidayatullah said the Munda grid station hadn’t been approved during the previous Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government but it got the necessary approval of late. He said the site for the grid station had been selected, while work on it would begin soon.

The minister said restoration of peace, renaming of the province, grant of autonomy to the province and end to Kalabagh Dam project were Awami National Party’s golden achievements.

He said jailed founder of the defunct TNSM Maulana Sufi Mohammad was freed by the ANP government.

“He (Sufi) was sent to jail during the MMA government but we released him to ink a deal with warring militants,” he said, adding that unfortunately, militants sabotaged the initiative.

Mr Hidayatullah said ANP never promised to enforce Sharia in Malakand division but did it only because it had been a longstanding demand of locals.

“Enforcement of sharia nizam-i-Adl, establishment of ‘Darul Qaza’ in Swat and increasing Shuhada package from Rs500,000 to Rs3000,000 were also big acts of ANP-led provincial government,” he said. The minister said supply of Sui gas to Dir had been only a dream in the past but the plan was being finalised.

“Now, work on gas pipeline is in progress and soon people of the district will have Sui gas in their houses,” he said, adding that due to these achievements, people of Lower Dir would again like to vote ANP to power.

Meanwhile, residents and traders of Timergara on Monday demanded that the managing director Frontier Highways Authority and the provincial communications secretary to direct the relevant contractor to complete work on the ongoing protection wall on the Panjkora River near Timergara bypass.

Talking to reporters at Timergara press club, elders of the area said work on 400 feet along the river had been completed but the contractor had stopped work on construction of a section of the wall opposite to the press club.

“We have been told that there’s enough fund for its construction,” an elder said, adding that due to unidentified reason, the protection wall was being left uncompleted. He said a water supply scheme, offices of fire brigade, a private hospital and nearby buildings were at risk if protection wall was not completed without delay.

Other elders urged the district administration to take notice of the matter and take corrective measures.