Elders want share for Baizai in development projects

GHALLANAI: The elders of Essakhel tribe on Wednesday expressed concern over what they argued ignoring the Baizai villages in Mohmand Agency in development works.

The elders of the Baizai area near the border with Afghanistan had come together to discuss the problems were being faced by the native tribespeople and ignoring the area in terms of development.

Prominent among the tribal elders present included Malik Zarjan, Malik Sanubar Khan, Malik Nihwar Khan and others.The elders said that Baizai tribe was one of the major tribes of Mohmand Agency while Baizai was the largest sub-division but lamented that the area had been ignored in terms of development.

They said that the area was less developed than any other area in the agency. They said that there were no education or health facility available, roads were in a dilapidated condition and people lacked drinking water.

The area was being ignored despite the fact that the people were fulfilling their collective responsibility under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) law and maintaining peace in their respective areas.

They said that the Essakhel area was rich in minerals but lamented that some self-proclaimed tribal elders and members of Essakhel tribe living in Peshawar, Lahore and other cities of the country had been receiving the incentives and other honoraria.

They said that these people had formed their own committees and were now planning to deprive the local tribespeople of their minerals and royalty. They said that if these people were honest with their tribe then they should return to native areas, fulfill their responsibility under the collective clause of FCR and participate in meetings and play their role in securing the area from militants and anti-social elements.

They urged the government and political administration to construct schools for boys and girls, provide free of cost seeds to farmers, carry out development work and spend the minerals royalty money on the development of the area.