MANSEHRA: The Lower Kohistan police have put up extra security checks for the safety of the people traveling between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the Karakoram Highway in light of the recent terrorist attacks in the adjoining Chilas district.

“Since the terrorists torched girls schools in the neighbouring Chilas district, wehave put the security on high alert and deployed more policemen at the KKH for the safety of passengers,” senior police official Nosher Khan told members of liaison committees on Monday.

He said the police could effectively protect public life and property if the people cooperated with them.

Mr Nosher said he was hopeful that the local residents would allow outsiders to disturb the peaceful environment of the district.

He said the liaison committees had helped the police bring the crime rate almost to zero and would help protect the people travelling between GB and KP. The official asked the committee members to be more vigilant to counter terrorism.

BUDGET CONTROVERSY: A controversy has surrounded the approval of Rs9.21 billion budget of Mansehra district by the PML-N-led local government.

Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam claimed that the budget for financial year 2018-19 stood approved but the opposition leader disagreed.

The council met with convener Murtaza Tanoli in the chair on Monday, where 56 of the total 88 members were in attendance. The PTI members interrupted the nazim as he presented Rs9.21 billion budget.

Mr Ghulam said he had presented the best possible budget in light of the limited available financial resources.

He said Rs7.66 billion was earmarked for the payment of salary to the employees of devolved departments, while Rs700 million would go for development and Rs850 million for overhead expenditure of devolved departments.

The session witnessed disorder when the nazim put up the budget for the house’s approval.

Opposition leader Shahid Rafique said seven members of the 81-strong house had resigned and therefore, the district government needed 45 votes for the approval of the budget but it could secure 41 votes only.

He said the budget wasn’t approved in the eyes of the law and the assistant director (local government), who was also present in the session, endorsed him.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2018