No recourse: Upper Kurram tribesmen protest land occupation

Claim former MNA has illegally occupied 396 kanals since 16 years.

PARACHINAR: Around 1,200 families from the Mastokhel tribe of Upper Kurram Agency will protest outside the FATA Tribunal and the office of the political agent if justice is not meted out to them.

This decision was made public on Sunday at a news conference in Parachinar.

Tribal elders, including Dr Syed Hussain Mian and Malik Nawab Khan Fada Ali, accused former MNA Munir Syed Mian of colluding with other tribesmen and occupying 396 kanals of their land for 16 years.

The elders said the issue was taken to the political administration and FATA Tribunal, however, there had been no resolution to the issue. They complained even though the issue pertained to Upper Kurram, the administration transferred it to Central Kurram which meant the elders were unable to attend the legal proceedings.

They cited security concerns, adding such actions had only made the matter at hand more complex.

“We have been going from pillar to post for help to various departments for the last 16 years but our opponents are influential and thus untouchable,” said one elder. “This is why we have not gotten our due rights.”

“We will start a massive protest if no help is sent our way.”

Meanwhile, the Kherlachi Feeder-II was inaugurated in Kurram Agency. Political elder of the area Nawabzada Malik Tahir Hussain, a number of tribal elders, and officials of the FATA Construction Division were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2014.