Mansehra Nazims postpone lockdown

MANSEHRA: The Nazims of more than 194 villages and neighbourhood councils here on Monday postponed lockdown of their offices and strike till September 20.

They postponed the lockdown after the assistant director of the Local Government Department ordered the secretaries to pay their honorarium and rent of offices and utility bills from development part of the budget.

“We have postponed our planned strike and lockdown of our offices against the reduction and non-payments of honorarium and rent of our offices till September 20 after assistant director ordered secretaries to immediately release honorarium and rent of our offices,” Basharat Ali, General Secretary of the Nazims Ittehad, told reporters. The Nazims Ittehad that represents 194 village and neighbourhood councils inMansehra, Balakot and Oghi tehsils had announced lockdown of their offices and strike from August 21 as their honorarium and rent of offices had been pending for two years.

Basharat said if the order of the assistant director was not implemented they would go on strike and lock down their offices as a mark of protest.Earlier in the day, Assistant Director Local Government Department Ziaur Rehman Jadoon directed the secretaries of 194 village and neighbourhood councils to immediate pay the honorarium and rent and utility bills of offices of nazims from development funds.