KARAK: The ANP, Karak chapter, has started wooing the disgruntled workers back into the party fold.

This was claimed by ANP district president Sajjad Ahmad Khan Khattak while addressing a press conference on Friday. He said the party’s local leaders had been visiting the houses of disgruntled workers who had grievances against the leadership. He claimed that in Banda Daud Shah several workers, including former tehsil president Dr Ibrahim Khattak, had rejoined the party.

Mr Khattak said the ideological workers were the asset of the party, admitting that the leadership had realised the fact that the old workers had rendered great sacrifices for the party’s cause, and that they would not remain sidelined anymore.

He claimed that ANP was the only representative party of Pakhtuns and would continue to fight for their rights. He criticised the ruling PTI for ‘failing’ to translate its election slogans into reality.

The ANP leader claimed that the party would form the government in the province after the next general elections.

FACILITIES DEMANDED: The residents of various localities here on Friday demanded of the oil and gas exploration companies to pay them the land compensation, construct a hospital and provide jobs to them.

The demand was made by people of Chughto, Sanda Manzai, Sanda Khurram, Mir Kalam Banda and adjoining localities during a meeting. The meeting was chaired by a social activist Mumtaz Ali Khan.

The participants complained that residents of more than 20 villages were deprived of basic amenities despite the fact that oil and gas exploration activities were going on in their region.

They accused Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and MOL of failing to initiate uplift projects in the localities, saying that due to exploration activities environmental pollution was increasing due to which respiratory, skin and other diseases were on the rise. But, they regretted that the companies had failed to build a health facility.

They demanded that a well-equipped hospital should be established in the area. The elders complained that excessive deforestation caused by the companies had destroyed the wildlife and the grazing points.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2016