Public interest: Jirga condemns drive against encroachment in Mardan

Forward course of action to be decided today

MARDAN:

Aman Jirga Mardan, an organisation comprising various political and religious parties, has condemned the demolition of houses and shops in Mardan in a recent anti-encroachment drive.

Speaking at an emergency meeting held on Sunday at the jirga president’s residence, speakers criticised the anti-encroachment drive launched by Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority (PHA) and district administration from Doranabad Chowk to Baghdada Bazaar on Saturday. The drive was supervised by the Mardan assistant commissioner.

According to the speakers, the move violated basic human rights as a large number of children were affected by the decision to demolish houses.

Speaking on the occasion, Syed Kamal Shah Bacha, the president of the jirga, said some of the shops and houses in the area were built on cantonment land which had been leased for 99 years. “The decision to launch the drive was, at best, illogical as so many houses have been razed to the ground,” he added.

Jirga members appealed to the Military State and Land Record DG, corps commander and army chief to take action against the PHA and district administration for illegally demolishing houses and shops in a cantonment area.

Bacha said the jirga would announce its next course of action against the anti-encroachment drive during a news conference in Mardan Press Club on Monday (today).

The meeting was attended by a large number of jirga members.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2015.