SWAT: The employees of public health engineering department staged a protest here on Monday against registration of FIR against their colleagues and alleged occupation of department’s bungalows by judges.

They took out a procession and gathered outside Swat Press Club, raising slogans against what they termed unjust actions.

Addressing a press conference at the press club, provincial chairman of All Government Employees Grand Alliance (Agega) Wazir Zada alleged that during the 2009 and 2010 crisis, two bungalows of the department were temporarily allotted to judges. He said that those bungalows were still occupied by judges.

He said that despite repeated letters sent to judiciary and administration for recovery of the department’s property, no progress was made in that regard.

He was accompanied by APCA district president Ali Rehman, patron of Public Health Workers Welfare Association Peer Gul Ali Shah, Saleem Khan, provincial patron of Pakistan Milli Labour Federation Anwar Ali Bacha, general secretary Qaiser Ali and Fazal Subhan.

“On September 13, our employees discovered construction work under way at one of the department’s bungalows on the orders of district and sessions judge. The matter was reported to Saidu Sharif police. Instead of taking action, police arrested nine employees of the department and registered an FIR against them along with 45 other staff members,” they said.

They said urged the administration to intervene immediately and resolve the dispute between judiciary and public health department. They demanded of district and sessions judge to ensure return of the department’s property.

They threatened to expand the protest movement to entire province if their demands were not accepted. They said that water supply in Swat was already suspended as a first step of the protest movement.

HOTELIERS: President of Swat Hotels Association Haji Zahid Khan said on Monday that unrest, encroachments and government apathy were driving tourism industry in the district towards collapse.

Addressing a news conference at Swat Press Club, he said that hotel industry suffered more than Rs9 billion losses in current year owing to decline in tourism.

Flanked by hotel owners Farhad Ali, Javed Ali Shah and Ahmed Shah, he that provincial government misplaced priorities. “Unfortunately, there is not even a tourism minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which shows how little importance is given to this sector,” he said. He added that the poor condition of roads and tourist spots discouraged visitors.

“The return of militants has created an atmosphere of fear, forcing both local and foreign tourists to avoid Swat,” he said. He also criticised government’s anti-encroachment drive, saying it “added to people’s miseries instead of providing relief to flood-hit communities.”

He said that without immediate government action, hundreds of hotels in Swat would have no option but to shut down. “The tourism police deployed in scenic areas are not properly trained, which makes tourists feel unsafe,” he said, urging the government to take concrete measures, rehabilitate roads and tourist sites, train tourism police and resolve the issues faced by hotel industry.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025