KOHAT: The local traders held a rally here on Thursday to protest hike in prices of petrol, sugar, ghee and flour.

The rally, led by Kohat Awami Tehreek chairman Ameer Khan Afridi, passed through the main bazaar.

Mr Afridi said that the price hike badly affected the poor and middle class. He said that the price of a 50-kilogram bag of sugar was Rs7,000 while five-kilogram canister of ghee was sold at Rs1,480. He said that a 20-kilogram bag of flour was sold at Rs1,370 that was out of the reach of a daily wager, who earned Rs20,000 per month.

The protesters said that traders rejected increase in the prices of edibles and daily use items.

POLLS: Despite the uncertainty surrounding holding of the local government elections, the coveted seat of mayor has become an apple of discord among social workers and prominent workers of political parties in all the four tehsils of Kohat.

Nauman Khan, an official of Election Commission of Pakistan, said that hundreds of aspirants were filling nomination papers for village and neighbourhood council in all the four tehsils of the district.

Sources said that so far Seth Abdullah, Advocate Abdur Rauf of PPP, Jameel Paracha of JUI-F as independent and Malik Mansoor of PTI had come forward for the slot of mayor of Kohat tehsil.

Babar Afridi, son of MPA Amjid Afridi, is also a strong candidate from Gumbat tehsil while former district councillor Dr Matiullah Shah may also try his luck.

Tough competition is expected in all the four tehsils.

FORUM: The women at a khuli kutcheri in Lachi on Thursday raised problems pertaining to shortage of health staff at the local hospital, loadshedding of gas and electricity and shortage of clean drinking water.

Deputy Commissioner Roshan Mehsud listened to their complaints and directed the relevant officials to resolve the problems. He was accompanied by Assistant Commissioner Ameer Nawaz and heads of line departments.

He ordered the tehsil municipal administration to remove the scattered garbage dumps.

He directed police to devise a comprehensive strategy to wipe out the menace of drug.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2021