JI’s MPA-elect from Bajaur pledges to serve electorate

PESHAWAR: Sirajuddin Khan, the lone among Jamaat-e-Islami candidates for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from the merged districts who won a seat, has pledged to continue serving his people with renewed spirit.

Elected from PK-102 Bajaur with a significant margin, Sirajuddin Khan said he would start his efforts for the well-being of the people of his constituency soon after the upcoming Eidul Azha.

The MPA-elect is yet to take oath as member of the assembly as its session has not been convened so far. But Sirajuddin said that instead of waiting for the assembly session for taking oath and government funds, he would begin his activities for resolving the pressing problems of his people.

Water supply, education, health, dispute resolution and social welfare activities are the priority areas on which he would focus his attention. He has already been rendering such services in his constituency.

“It was due to the election campaign that I had suspended my activities for the welfare of the people. Now that the people have reposed trust in me, my responsibilities towards my people have multiplied. I would try my best to serve the people to the best of my capabilities,” Sirajuddin told The News.

Hailing from Nawan Killay near the district headquarters Khar, Sirajuddin is an offspring of the royal family of Bajaur. His family ruled Bajaur when it was a princely state. He is a landlord and is widely known for his generosity and support for the needy people.

Born in Charmang village in 1961, Sirajuddin received his early education from a state-run primary school in the village. He studied until grade 8 at Government Middle School in Loisam, a village that was completely demolished during the military operation in 2008. He passed his secondary school certificate examination from Government High School in Khar in 1977 and was admitted to the Government Degree College, Khar in 1978.

The same year he got married in accordance with the traditions of early marriages in his area.He completed his intermediate in 1979 and took up the job of village administrator in the Afghan refugees’ commissionerate. He served in this position until 1996.

It was during his college life that he affiliated with Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba (IJT), the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami. He later joined the Jamaat-e-Islami and has remained loyal to it to this day.

After quitting his job in the commissionerate, Sirajuddin visited Uzbekistan where he stayed for a year doing his business. Upon his return, he started his business, which he still runs with help from his two sons.

Sirajuddin is thankful to his party for awarding him the ticket and the JI workers who campaigned for him to ensure his success in the election. His personal and family status also facilitated his victory. All the influential families, especially in Mamond area of his constituency, stood by him.

About his plans for serving his people, he said drinking water supply is the major problem faced by the population of his constituency, especially those living in the hilly areas. He has made a promise to set up water pumps and dug-wells in every village from his own pocket if the government does not allocate funds for the purpose.

He said that education was the second major challenge faced by people of his area. “Students belonging to poor families pass their matriculation with good marks, but they fail to get admission in higher classes due to scarcity of government institutions and capacity in the existing ones,” he pointed.

Sirajuddin said the government should pay attention to this serious issue. Capacity in the existing institutions should be enhanced and also new institutions should be opened to overcome the problem, he added.

He opined that the student-teacher ratio in the government schools needed immediate resolution. “Currently we have one teacher for 100 to 200 students. It is not humanly possible for the teacher to impart quality education to such a huge number of students. The issue of teachers’ shortage should be resolved on war-footings,” he argued.