MARDAN, Aug 31: The members of the Shamozai Islahi Committee (reconciliatory body) on Saturday denied corruption charges against them and decided to file a Rs50 million worth of defamation suit against the accusers.

They along with local elders had gathered at the hujra of Khan Babo in Ghundo Mashwani locality.

Noted among participants were president of the committee Haji Zarbahadar Khan, former tehsil nazim Haji Khan Daraz, Haji Mumtaz Ali, Haji Abdul Wali and Haji Mohammad Rasaan.

The committee gets Rs0.6 million annually from the contractor, who has secured the mountain of Shamozai area on lease. According to the committee members, they’ve been getting the lease money from the contractor for 30 years with 25 per cent annual increase.

They said the money had been deposited in a joint account of four nominees of the local residents. The committee members said the money was used for social welfare and development schemes, including construction of bridges, mosques, roads, schools and hujras.

They said they recently purchased four kanals of land valuing Rs4.4 million for the girls’ middle school in Badar locality.

The committee members Amal Baz, Farman Khan and others had leveled baseless charges against them and therefore, the former had to face the defamation suit.

They denied that the committee had been getting Rs3 million annually from the contractor and said they got Rs0.6 million every year.

The committee members said only the government could lease out the Shamozai mountain and the committee had nothing to do with it.