SWABI: The Swabi Development Authority (SDA) project director has reinstated the eight expelled contractual employees, sources told Dawn on Friday.

They said the representatives of local government had met with the SDA project director and allegedly warned him of dire consequences if he didn’t reinstate the employees.

However, the sources said the director was sticking with his guns and was not ready to reconsider his decision.

Meanwhile, the sacked workers approached Maulana Fazal Ali, central naib emir of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, and apprised him about the ‘rigidity’ of the civic body’s project director, the sources said, adding Mr Ali met the SDA officer in the latter’s office. Later, they said the officer reinstated the workers.

A sacked worker confirmed their reinstatement and said they resumed their duties on Friday. He said it was made possible after the JUI-F leader met the project director.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Prof Zahoorul Haq on Friday assumed the additional charge of VC Women University Swabi.

The women varsity’s regular VC had retired on March 6 this year, and later VC University of Swabi, Prof Nasir Jamal Khattak had held the additional charge for some time, but due to his serious academic engagements he could not give the required time to the varsity.

The higher education department had advised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to give additional charge to Prof Haq to ‘run the women varsity affairs smoothly’.

However, insiders told Dawn that it was not an easy task to run the women university from Mardan, and demanded appointment of a regular VC.

FOUR INJURED: Four people were injured when a speeding car hit the protective wall of the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway near Swabi Interchange on Friday, Rescue 1122 officials said. They identified the injured as Syed Arab, 50, Amjad Khan, 60, Mehmood Khan, 45, and Hamid Khan, 40.

The injured were shifted to the Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Shahmansoor.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2023