By: Fazal Nabi
NOWSHERA: The local government representatives on Monday announced plans for a full-scale protest in front of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on January 5 to support their legitimate demands.
A meeting took place at the residence of Tehsil Chairman Pabbi, Ghayur Khattak, and was chaired by Himayatullah Mayar, the President of the Local Councils Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The meeting was attended by several officials, including Haroon Sifat, Tehsil Chairman of Pushtkhara Peshawar; Intizar Khalil, Coordinator of the Local Councils Association; Chairman Taimur Kamal; Chairman Arshad Shah; Tehsil Chairman Ghulam Haqqani; members of the Local Councils Association; and various local government representatives.
During the meeting, speakers strongly condemned the challenges faced by local governments and criticised the PTI provincial government’s unjust treatment of local government representatives. They emphasised that effective governance is achieved at the grassroots level through local governments, but the PTI provincial government has paralysed the local government system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Local government representatives have organised peaceful protests for the past three years. In response, the provincial government has often resorted to heavy-handed tactics, including shelling and lathi charges against them, resulting in the arrest of several local government officials. Negotiations were held with the provincial government, particularly with former Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Sardar Ali Amin Ghandapur. Promises were made during these discussions, and the minutes of those meetings are available, but the provincial government has failed to implement any of the commitments made.
The meeting also announced the formation of committees to facilitate arrangements for the protest on January 5.
