After decades of hiatus, open court organised in Mohmand Agency

Local residents raise issues related to blocked ID cards, health, education facilities, other problems in their areas


Mureeb Mohmand March 11, 2018
Local residents raise issues related to blocked ID cards, health, education facilities, other problems in their areas. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

SHABQADAR: After a couple of decades' hiatus, the Mohmand Agency administration organised open courts (Khuli Kachehri) in Safi and Baizai subdivision on Saturday, where local residents raised issues related to blocked identity cards, health and education facilities, drinking water, governance and power supply in their areas.

It was a new beginning for the residents of Safi, Khwaizai and Baizai when they for the first time met the local administration in their subdivision, and visited the agency headquarters for their problems in all matters, including verification of ID card and passports, as most of their cards are blocked by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) that has declared them suspect.

Malak Sultan, who was heading a local militia in the past in the Baizai subdivision, is now helping the administration in maintaining peace in the area.

He told reporters that most of the residents in the country are out on the streets in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab due to law and order, lack of basic facilities like health, education and unemployment.

CM Bizenjo’s open court wins people’s applause

Sultan also said that the process of unblocking the ID cards of affected people is dependent on the political administration, but unfortunately, some officials in the local administration and Nadra at Ghallanai are not cooperating, and the political administration should take notice of the issue.

Some locals also raised the issue of health and educational facilities in the area, saying that although the government has established a school and a health institution in Baizai areas, but they are only buildings which has no basic facilities.

Locals add that when they have some health issue, they go to agency headquarter hospital, which is not possible after dark due to the law and order issue in the area.

The local also raised the issue of education, and complained that there is no high school for boys and girls in the entire subdivision.

Kohat AC holds open court for women

Similarly, people in Safi have termed the moves as positive in the area, which was once a busy office hub, but lost favour due to militancy after 2007.

They demanded that although Safi has colleges, schools and health institutions, most of these have been destroyed in the long period of militancy in the aera, while many are still closed due to non-availability of buildings, to be made functional by constructing these destroyed building.

The locals also raised issue of the power supply in their area, and demanded that it should be regularised, as the marble factories in the area have power supply but the local consumer has no such facilities due to corruption in the department. They also raised the issue of mobile phone suspension since March 2017, and demanded the opening of it on a priority bases.

Court ruling on barriers delights public

Officials in the area, including Mohmand Tariq Ullah, have assured them that Tehsildar Khalid Khan and others are permanently working in Lakaro Tehsil to solve their issue on the spots.

Safi tehsil of Mohmand agency came under militant attack in 2007, when militants lead by Umer Khalid Khurasani captured the shrine of Haji Sahib Turnagzai, a prominent freedom fighter of Pakistan movement, and controlled the area until the 2011 military operation against them.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ