BAJAUR: Residents of Charmang valley of Bajaur tribal district on Sunday staged a demonstration against lack of basic facilities, and warned of boycotting the July 11 by-election on PK-22 and upcoming anti-polio campaign if their issues were not addressed immediately.

Scores of people from different localities of the region participated in the demonstration held in Hasham area, the main town of the valley.

Hasham Welfare Organisation, a body of youth, organised the rally.

The participants were holding placards inscribed with slogans demanding basic needs of life.

Haji Manzoor Alam, chairman village council-5, Haji Ghulam Haidar, Shamas Khan, Satna Gul, Faizullah, Usman Jan and others addressed the protesters.

The speakers pointed out that Hasham region compromised about two dozen villages, but lacked basic facilities like schools for boys and girls, basic health unit, drinking water and electricity.

The protesters said establishment of primary schools both for boys and girls, a basic health unit, provision of electric supply and setting up of separate polling stations for men and women for the July 11 by-election were their main demands.

The leaders of the rally asked the chief minister, senior officials of the district administration and local lawmakers to take serious notice of their issues.

They, however, announced that the residents of the entire region would boycott the by-poll and the upcoming anti-polio drive if practical steps were not taken on their demands.

Meanwhile, when contacted, an official of the district administration told Dawn that Tribal Electric Supply Company had been directed to fix the faults in the transmission line in order to restore the power supply to the region at the earliest.

The official said polling stations for the July 11 by-election would be established at places easily accessible to the residents.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2024