Bara elders threaten to boycott anti-polio drive

BARA: Elders and political leaders of Shalobar tribe have threatened to boycott the upcoming anti-polio campaign. Talking to reporters, elders and political leaders including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Abdul Ghani, Khyber Union president Bazaar Gul Afridi, Asghar Khan Afridi and others said that they would set up a protest camp and boycott the anti-polio drive. “We will not allow the government any kind of construction on Baisay mountain till the government restores our stone crushing plants and provides compensation to us,” Bazaar Gul said, adding that the government did not inform locals as to what the government would build at top of Baisay mountain. He alleged that the assistant commissioner Bara did not support Shalobar tribe and took unilateral decision .He said the AC threatened the Shalobar tribe that whether or not the locals want, the development schemes would be done atop the mountain.Asghar Afridi said they would not negotiate with the government till their demands were met. He said the tribal people’s homes had already been destroyed but now the government was forcibly occupying their property and closing their businesses. Later, they formed a committee of nine members to hold talks with the government on the issue.