TIMERGARA: The Lower Dir deputy commissioner on Tuesday directed all officers in the district to resolve public grievances in their respective departments within the available resources. He was addressing an open kutcheri arranged by the administration at the district council hall in Balambat. Besides heads of government departments, DPO Arif Shahbaz, SDO public health Bashir Khan, TMO Pervez Khan, representatives of local government and area elders were present on the occasion.

The area elders complained about irregularities in gas connections, delay in issuance of driving licences, unchecked sale of meat and non-qualified staff at private laboratories. They also highlighted the problem of shortage of drinking water and demanded extension of Right to Information Act to Malakand division, construction of sports stadium, restoration of blocked CNICs, parking facilities in Timergara, cleaning of drains in main bazaars and posting of child specialist in THQ Hospital, Talash. The DC said that the government officers were public servants and they should facilitate general public. “All the issues will be forwarded to the concerned departments for their resolution,” he said.

PROTEST RALLY: The Lower Dir chapter of Jamaat-i-Islami youth wing and Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) on Tuesday held a protest rally against the Sahiwal incident here in front of Timergara Press Club.

JI general secretary Arshad Zaman, Ateequr Rehman and others while speaking on the occasion condemned the brutal killing of innocent citizens in Sahiwal and demanded of the government to punish the culprits soon. They said that the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, Maulana Samiul Haq, SSP Tahir Dawar and others also negated the government’s claims of providing cheap justice to the nation.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2019