Locals protest construction of living quarters in library
Hundreds of books on various subjects are on the shelves in the library. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Local residents staged a protest demonstration against the construction of residential quarters in a public library in Parachinar, Kurram tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Monday.
They demanded that the library should be made functional and the construction of residential building inside its premises should be stopped immediately.
Teachers, students and local residents participated in the protest in large numbers. They said that the library is one of the oldest in the region which houses rare manuscripts and recently the district administration started construction of residential buildings inside its premises where offices and flats would be established for district officers which is unfortunate.
“The library furniture has been damaged and books are missing from it which is simply not acceptable,” they said, adding that last year the security forces tried to make the library functional but in vain and the recent constructions inside the library building shows the callousness of the district administration.
“We demand an end to the construction immediately. The library should be made functional and it should be digitized and connected to internet so that people can access it online,” the protesters demanded.
“Let us make it clear that the dismantling of the library is not acceptable in any case and it would result in protest demonstrations across the tribal district,” they said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2021.