KARAK: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Karak district, has termed the protest sit-in of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf outside the central processing facility here in Makori a failed show and alleged that the sit-in was ended after PTI MPA Gul Sahib Khan and his relatives got a big amount of money from the oil and gas companies.

Former provincial minister Mian Nisar Gul made this claim while addressing a press conference here the other day. Others present on the occasion included JUI-F’s former district president Maulana Amir Shehzada, its local leader Abdur Rehman and other activists.

Mr Nisar alleged that Sahib Khan, his father and brother had sold out the people of Khattak tribe to the oil and gas companies. He said that the MPA ended the strike in the dark of the night, leaving his party workers, who were in search of jobs in the oil and companies, in the lurch.

Mr Nisar said that demands of the Karak PTI were right, but the way they made compromise on the rights of people was condemnable.

Former minister claims party MPA failed to protect people’s rights

The JUI-F leader alleged that Sahib Khan had plots in Islamabad worth Rs180 million and asked him to tell the nation from where he amassed such a huge wealth.

The former minister claimed that the oil and gas royalty was the fruit of his efforts. He said that in the current year the district got Rs 2.7 billion in oil and gas royalty and regretted that despite that no development could be seen in the district.

PROTEST DEMO: Workers of a crush plant staged a sit-in outside the office of deputy director small industries here the other day in protest against the government’s decision to demolish the plant.

Addressing the protesters, the workers’ leaders, including Resham Gul, Noor Zaif Khan and Shireen Zaman, said that the government had decided to demolish the crush plant established near the industrial zone and claimed that hundreds of workers would become jobless with the decision.

They said that the government was not providing jobs to the people and it would be unjustified to snatch jobs from the already employed. They demanded of the government to take back the decision, otherwise the workers would continue their protest.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2014