MANSEHRA: Lower Kohistan will stay as the new district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as people of Palis, who earlier opposed the bifurcation of Kohistan, have now agreed to accept the government decision.

Sources said that following outcry from the people, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had constituted a commission headed by Commissioner Hazara Abid Ali Khan to ascertain viewpoint of the people of both the Puttan and Palis tehsils on whether or not the Lower Kohistan should stay as the new district.

The sources said that the commission visited Kohistan on February 21 and met with the people of both the tehsils, who assented to the new district. However, the people of Palis tehsil opposed the decision of making Puttan tehsil as the headquarters of the new district and wanted Qazi Abad to be declared as the district headquarters.

The sources said that the commission had already sent its report to the CM.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa establishment department has appointed deputy commissioner and district police officer for the new district who have been performing their duties in Puttan city.

MPA from Kohistan Maulana Asmatullah, who belongs to Palis tehsil, has moved Peshawar High Court’s circuit bench in Abbottabad challenging Puttan as the district headquarters.

He pleaded that Qazi Abad should be declared as the headquarters as Palis comprised 13 union councils compared to 10 union councils of Puttan tehsil.

SHOT DEAD: A man on Sunday shot dead his brother and sister-in-law in the name of honour in Allai area of Battagram.

The incident happened in Butkool area.

Mohammad Arshad, SHO Allai police station, who reached the scene along with a police party after the incident, told Dawn on contact that both the dead were taken to hospital.

He said the bodies would be handed over to their legal heirs after carrying out autopsy.

He said that the woman was mother of four, while the man was married, but had no children.

Police registered case and began investigation.