TIMERGARA: Residents and local bodies’ members from Maidan tehsil on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of government departments and demanded of the district administration to take practical steps for improving service delivery.

They made the demand during an open kutechri arranged by the district administration at the government degree college, Lal Qila, with Lower Dir Deputy Commissioner Sarmad Salim Akram in the chair.

The chairman district development advisory committee Saeed Gul, DHO Shaukat Ali, DPO Nowsher Khan, DEO Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim, heads of forest, works and services departments and tehsil municipal officers were present on the occasion.

Over 300 elders and local government representatives from Maidan attended the event, highlighting their problems and complaining that relevant departments were least bothered to address their grievances.

They said the residents had been facing power outages and health and educational institution lacked proper facilities. They also pointed out shortage of medicines in government hospitals.

The deputy commissioner said the government employees were duty bound to provide relief to public. He said the administration would try its best to resolve the problems raised by residents at the forum.

BENAZIR’S DEATH ANNIVERSARY: Like other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Peoples Party, Lower Dir chapter, also observed the 10th martyrdom anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday.

A function in this regard was held at the hujra of PPP district president Mehmood Zeb Khan which was attended by party workers from all parts of Lower Dir. Party leaders, including former minister Malik Azmat Khan, Mehmood Zeb Khan, former MPA Mohammad Zamin Khan, district general secretary Ashfaq ur Rehman and others addressed the gathering.

The speakers paid rich tributes to Ms Bhutto and her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. They said it was the Bhutto family that had rendered matchless sacrifices for restoration of democracy in Pakistan. They said several other party workers also laid their lives in the war against terrorism.

The speakers asked the participants to convey the message of late Benazir Bhutto and her father to every nook and corner of the district. They said the party had planned to run a campaign for the next general elections in the district. They claimed the PPP would win the 2018 elections in the country.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2017