KHYBER: Provincial minister for irrigation Aqibullah Khan has said that journalists in tribal regions are performing their professional responsibilities in extremely trying and dangerous situation while also suffering casualties and monetary losses.

Speaking as chief guest at the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected Bara Press Club here the other day, he said tribal journalists have also served as a bridge between the ordinary tribesmen and government while bravely highlighting the problems and thorny issues of terrorism-affected regions.

“It is the main duty and responsibility of tribal journalists to convey right and accurate information to both the people and the government functionaries,” he said, adding that the government would facilitate the local journalists as they were faced with numerous financial, professional and security issues.

The minister said the provincial government knew about the problems of tribal journalists and had issued grant for a press club in each tribal district.

He said the government wished to promote the agriculture sector due to construction of new dams in the Khyber district where tribal farmers were deprived of the facility.

He added that the provincial government had started constructing news dams in tribal districts.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi, MPA and district development advisory committee chairman Abdul Ghani Afridi, political leaders, traders, journalists, elders and others were also present at the ceremony.

The newly-elected office-bearers include president Mohammad Saleem Afridi, vice-president Jehanzeb Afridi, general secretary Munir Khan Afridi, finance secretary Shafiq Afridi, Joint secretary Iqbal Afridi, office secretary Qadeer Afridi and executive members Aurangzeb Afridi, Ali Akhtar Afridi and Saeedullah Afridi.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2025