KOHAT: A multi-party conference held here on Sunday constituted a jirga for holding negotiations with the provincial government to establish the proposed oil refinery in Kohat. The participants threatened to observe a wheel-jam and shutter down strike in case the refinery was constructed elsewhere.

The conference was held at the Bacha Khan Library attended by civil society activists, district council members and representatives of political parties.

Federal Minister for Textile Industry Abbas Khan Afridi and Advocate Javed Panji were nominated as chairman and secretary general of the jirga, respectively, for holding talks with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

The participants criticised the elements for creating impediments in the construction of oil refinery in Kohat.

On the occasion, Abbas Afridi said the oil refinery was approved in 2002, and in 2003, a resolution was passed in the provincial assembly for its establishment in Kohat through a third-party investment. He criticised the chief minister for ‘making’ changes to the investment procedure, thus making the issue controversial.

Mr Afridi said people of Karak were their brothers, but the third party made decisions on the basis of feasibility of the oil refinery. He claimed that oil reserves in Karak were for 15 years whereas those in Kohat and Hangu were estimated to last for more than 80 years. Similarly, there was facility of railway line in Kohat and abundant water whereas water to the oil wells in Karak was being provided from Khadar Khel area of Lachi tehsil of Kohat, he argued.

The federal minister said people of Karak district were mostly settled in Kohat and Peshawar because their district was a desert, and added that even if an oil refinery was constructed there the people won’t prefer to stay in their home district. District nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad, Ameer Khan Afridi of Qaumi Tehreek, PML-N district president Sher Khan Bangash, PPP’s Fareed Advocate, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Hayee Jamil Paracha, tehsil nazim Taimoor Khan and Adil Shah of PTI were among those in attendance.

KILLING FOR ‘HONOUR’: A police official allegedly killed a man in the name of honour in Chakarkot area on Sunday, and managed to escape from the crime scene.

The cantonment police said the accused constable, after performing duty, went to Chakarkot, where he allegedly shot dead a 23-year-old man on suspicion of having illicit relationship with a woman of his family.

The police registered FIR against the accused and started search to arrest him.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2016