SHANGLA: The residents of Shangla have asked the election candidates of different political parties to first make themselves accountable for their past failures to come up to their expectations and then seek votes.

They were speaking at a meeting held at the District Jirga Hall in Alpuri here the other day. Youth and social activists, common people, and potential election candidates of different political parties were in attendance.

PTI nominated candidate Abdul Maula, PML-N’s Mohammad Rashad Khan, PPP’s Afsarulmulk, Mutawakil Khan of ANP, Shah Saud of Awami Workers Party and JUI-F’s Mohammad Imad Khan were also present.

Fazal Haq, a social activist from Lilownai area, accused PML-N leader Amir Muqam of accumulating assets, but doing little for the uplift of Shangla residents.

Ali Bhash Khan, Basi village council chairman, said the impoverished people of Shangla had been forced to work in coal mines across the country to earn a living due to a lack of job opportunities in their home district.

He said politicians disappeared after getting votes.

Gulab Shahpuri, a politician-cum-educationist, said PML-N and PTI claimed to have brought billions of funds to Shangla, but not a single project was launched in the district. He said the politicians, who were going to contest next elections, would have to make themselves accountable first.

Nasir Iqbal, another local resident, said he felt ashamed to hear that the government had downgraded the Shangla University status to a sub-campus of the Swat University.

He said political leaders first got approved road projects and then got contracts for their own firms. He added such projects were either left incomplete or executed using substandard material.

He added politico-religious parties never spoke about improving education standards and rights of the underprivileged coal miners.

He said the previous PTI government had announced jobs and Rs1 million stipend for the family members of killed mineworkers, but the announcement was not materialised.

On the occasion, the election candidates claimed they worked for progress of the district during their tenures.

PPP’s Afsarulmulk claimed Shangla had got the status of a district when his father was the MPA. He claimed he had got included 30,000 more beneficiaries in the Benazir Income Support Programme.

The candidates promised to improve education infrastructure, provide jobs to locals, construct roads and boost tourism if they were elected.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2023