LAKKI MARWAT: Chairmen of village and neighbourhood councils have threatened protest if the provincial government does not transfer powers to the grassroots level with immediate effect.

Speaking at news conference at the Bannu Press Club on Monday, Malik Mir Mohammad Hayat, Mureed Hayat Advocate, Mian Mehfozur Rehman, Shah Zeb Khan and others regretted that the government had not transferred powers to them despite the fact that the first phase of local body elections was held four months ago.

They deplored that the newly-elected chairmen had not yet assumed charge of their offices.

They pointed out that in the previous local governments, the nazims of village and neighbourhood councils were empowered to utilise uplift funds in their respective constituencies.

They said as a huge chunk of funds was left unspent by the previous local governments they had the legitimate right to use them for betterment of people.

They feared the government might use the uplift funds on the will of MPs or the district administration. They asked the government to financially empower the chairmen of village and neighbourhood councils to use such funds.

TWO ARRESTED: The police on Monday claimed to have resolved a blind murder case of a couple by arresting two suspected killers during a raid in Naurang town.

On Tuesday night, unidentified gunmen had killed Faridullah, 35, and his wife, Shazia Bibi, and injured their son, Sufyan, 11, after entering their house in Nar Sultan Mehmood village.

Shaheed Asmatullah Khan Khattak police station SHO Javed Khan told journalists that during investigation the police came to know that the couple had migrated to the village from Lahore a few months ago. He said the investigators found a clue about the killers and arrested them during a surprise raid.

He identified the arrested men as Hidayatullah, a professional killer, and Shahidullah, a brother of deceased, Faridullah. He said Naveed Khan, who had got registered a case into the double murder, and his brother Shahidullah, had hired professional killers for Rs300,000 to murder their brother, his wife and son.

He said efforts were underway to arrest Naveed.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2022