LAKKI MARWAT: Jamaat-i-Islami provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has accused the federal government of depriving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of its due rights and net hydel profit. He added that the government had delayed the National Finance Commission award to usurp financial rights of provinces.

He was speaking at a protest sit-in outside the district headquarters complex, Tajazai, here on Thursday. The council of southern districts’ rights set up by Jamaat-i-Islami had organised the gathering to raise voice for the rights and development of Lakki Marwat district. JI district chief Azizullah Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Senator Mushtaq said the net hydel profit was the constitutional right of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the PTI-led government was not serious to give it to the provinces. He criticised Chief Minister Mahmood Khan for his government’s failure to effectively take up the issue with his party’s government in the centre.

The JI leader said his party had launched the struggle to provide the people of the southern region with their due rights. He regretted that excessive power outages and drinking water shortage were other major problems of the residents. He said the main highway from Kohat to DI Khan was in bad condition.

He asked the government to include southern districts in the CPEC project and set up industrial zones to overcome unemployment and poverty in the neglected southern areas of the province.

“The government should also operationalise airports in Bannu and DI Khan, initiate construction work on Chashma left canal and ensure provision of education and health facilities to people of the area,” he said.

Criticising the government, he said that millions of people had lost their jobs during last two years.

Senator Mushtaq held the government responsible for the KTH incident and demanded judicial inquiry and registration of FIR against Chief Minister Mahmood Khan for the death of seven people due to shortage of oxygen.

KILLED: A teenage boy was killed, while a resident of North Waziristan district was found dead at a hotel room in Bannu on Thursday.

Police said that Khalik Rehman, 16, was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Rocha road in Bakkakhel police limits. A case has been registered against unknown killers.

Separately, Akbar Jan, a resident of Miranshah, was found dead in a hotel room in Bannu city. Police said they had started investigations into the case.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2020