LG reps brave teargas before demands accepted

Making good on their vow to hold a demonstration on September 4, local government representatives of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa took to the streets on Wednesday to demand the restoration of their powers, the availability of funds, and the resolution of other issues.

The representatives, while protesting, entered the red zone on Khyber Road, where the police responded with teargas and used water cannons.

Several local representatives were arrested during the incident, and many were affected by the tear gas. The protesters dispersed after successful negotiations with the chief minister.

The local government representatives of the province had announced a protest in front of the Chief Minister's House to demand the restoration of their powers, the revival of the Local Government Act 2019, and the provision of funds.

On Tuesday, negotiations between the Chief Minister and Mardan Mayor Himayatullah were successful, but some village and neighborhood council representatives, along with certain tehsil nazims, rejected the talks and announced a protest.

On Wednesday morning, local representatives began gathering at Jinnah Park. Peshawar Mayor Haji Zubair Ali, along with representatives from other cities, marched from Jinnah Park towards the Chief Minister House.

The police tried to stop the protesters in front of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, but the LG representatives pushed forward and reached the district courts. Upon entering the red zone, the police resorted to teargas and water cannons against the local representatives. Several representatives were arrested, and many protesters affected by the teargas were administered immediate medical aid.

Peshawar Mayor Haji Zubair Ali stated that such underhanded tactics could deter the resolve of public representatives. He warned that if the provincial government continued to treat public representatives in this manner, then those elected from all political parties, along with their workers, will take to the streets. "Let's see how they run the province then," he warned.

At this point, the deputy commissioner of Peshawar held negotiations with the local representatives, agreeing that a committee would meet with the chief minister.

The negotiating committee of local representatives met Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, where they informed him of their issues and demands. After the negotiations, Peshawar Mayor Zubair Ali announced that the talks with Gandapur were successful.

The chief minister gave his assurance that all issues would be resolved. Following this, the protest was called off.

In his conversation with the media after negotiations with the chief minister, Peshawar Mayor Haji Zubair Ali confirmed that the talks were successful.