MANSEHRA: Revenue collectors called off their two-month-long strike here on Saturdayafter a committee formed by the commissioner of Hazara division declared corruption and bribery charges against their colleagues baseless.
“We have ended our strike across Hazara division after the government accepted all our demands and initiated proceedings to quash FIRs registered against our officers and collectors in Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur districts,” central president of Patwarin and Qanongoyan Association Sarfraz Abbasi told reporters here.
Accompanied by other office-bearers of the association, Mr Abbasi said a three-member committee was formed to investigate the cases registered by anti-corruption establishment against five revenue officers and collectors.
He added that the committee, headed by settlement officer in Mansehra Mohammad Sohail, found all those cases based on mala fide intentions.
Committee declares graft, bribery charges baseless
The association leader said the ACE’s director recently constituted a separate committee to investigate FIRs lodged against five officers and collectors of the revenue departments in Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur, which was expected to submit its findings in the next two weeks.
He said provincial minister for revenue Nazir Abbasi, commissioner Zaheerul Islam, and senior member Board of Revenue Imtiaz Shah promised justice to the revenue collectors during a recent meeting.
“Under Section 181 of the Revenue Act, the SMBR barred the registration of FIRs by the ACE against revenue collectors and their officers before the findings of the departmental inquiry, which also led to the end of our strike throughout Hazara Division,” he said.
Revenue officials across Hazara Division had launched a complete pen-down strike after the ACE registered FIRs against revenue officials, including tehsildar Gul Rehman, gidawars Mohammad Siddique and Dilnawaz and patwaris Hamad and Tanveer in the districts of Mansehra, Haripur and Abbottabad following a series of raids two months ago.
Meanwhile, local body representatives from Peshawar on Saturday visited model Safada village council and lauded efforts taken by its chairmen and members for redressal of people’s issues without the government help.
The chairmen and members of Shaheedabad and Ragi Abtazi neighbourhood councils in Peshawar visited the Safada village council and met with the local community.
They asked them about development projects and services rendered by council chairman Basharat Ali Swati and members.
“We have successfully carried out dozens of development projects from the funds of local lawmakers to the benefit of the entire community,” he said.
Mr Swati said that awareness walks and sessions were also organised with the support of devolved departments and nongovernmental organisations.
On the occasion, Safada Village council members Aqil Naveed, Rohul Amin Akhtar, Mohammad Mushtaq, Ayaz Mughan and Nagina Bibi informed visitors that the joint efforts led authorities into declaring their village council a model one.
Local elder Javed Khan Swati briefed the delegates about the olive gardens grown by the community and revenue generated by the yield.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2024