Jobs sought for Karak residents

KARAK: The residents of different villages including Sanda Manzai, Nashpa, Alwargi, Faqiri Banda and other localities jointly

blocked the roads leading to rig number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 as a mark of protest.

The protesters demanded that the local people should be given jobs in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) recovery plants and other installations of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL).

Hundreds of protestors led by the President of Nashpa Committee Malik Azizur Rehman, Muhammad Imran and Mustafa Naseem marched to the roads leading to the oil fields and blocked them for traffic.

They said they had met OGDCL Managing Director Zahid Mir on February 8 during the visit of the prime minister to the oil fields of Nashpa.

The protesters said they had informed the OGDCL managing director about the problems being faced by the people living within the radius of five kilometres of the oil fields.

They said the official had assured them that skilled and unskilled jobs would be offered to the local people on a priority basis.

However, they complained that even a single job was not provided to the locals.

They added the OGDCL had transferred its employees working in other oil fields to LGP recovery plant of Nashpa and this violated the rights of the local people.

The protesters said the managing director had promised that a separate advertisement would be placed for the people of Karak and Kohat to provide them jobs but the pledge was yet to be honoured.