SWABI, March 6: Opposition members of Swabi Tehsil Council boycotted a council meeting on Thursday and staged a walkout against what they termed embezzlement of uplift funds by treasury members.

They alleged that a mafia in the district had held the local body system hostage and all the developmental funds went straight to the pockets of treasury members and their blue-eyed boys.

The protesting members demanded of the local bodies’ minister to form a committee for investigation into the irregularities and embezzlements of the uplift funds.

Protesters led by Rashid Ali, Raham Akbar, Pazir Mohammad, Said Jauhar Bacha and Raheel Ahmed have also decided to observe a three-day hunger strike to press the treasury benches for the acceptance of their demands.

Meanwhile, the tehsil council has sanctioned Rs1.2 million for the uplift of farmers, labourers and women, under the presidentship of Israr Ahmed, acting convener of the council.

They also demanded more funds for the far-flung areas which they said were ignored.

Some councillors accused the opposition members of politicizing the issue by staging a walkout and observing a hunger strike, and appealed them to resolve problems at council meetings.

They also demanded of the provincial government to spend money being collected as tobacco cess on the development of the district.

HUNGER STRIKE: The hunger strike of opposition members of the Swabi Tehsil Council continued for the second consecutive day on Thursday.

The opposition members said that the protest would continue till fulfilment of their demands including election of the convener of the council.

The protesters said that despite the absence of the Tehsil Naib Nazim, Ali Yar Khan, who was also convener of the council, from the office for the last six months the Tehsil Council was not asked to elect the new convener in accordance with the Local Government Ordinance, 2001.

They said that the Naib Nazim had joined the United Arabs Emirate Air force and went on leave from the Tehsil government. He no longer remained a member of the council but despite of it he had been withdrawing his salary, they alleged.

The opposition councillors have boycotted the council’s meeting on Tuesday and announced observing three-day hunger strike to press the treasury benches for acceptance of their demands.

They demanded of the local bodies’ minister to constitute a committee to probe the irregularities and embezzlement being made by the treasury members of the council in developmental works.