Karak Jirga accuses govt of not honouring pact

KARAK: Loya Jirga, a forum of elected representatives of Kohat division, has decided to adopt the path of protest as the provincial government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf failed to realise the points of the agreement reached between the provincial government and the jirga.

This was decided at a meeting of the elected representatives of Karak, office-bearers of rights organisations and elders of the district here on Friday, with Loya Jirga chairman Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel in the chair.

The meeting criticised the provincial government for failure in the implementation of the decisions taken in the negotiations between the government head of the negotiation committee Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, who is also the minister for finance, and the Loya Jirga on January 15.

The Loya Jirga chairman told media that the finance minister mocked the negotiations with the Jirga and despite the fact that the government has termed the 16-point agenda of the Loya Jirga genuine, they are now not honouring the pact.

The lawmaker complained that construction of Banda-Gurguri road was their demand and the government has promised to reconstruct the road but the other day the foreign oil and gas exploration company MOL signed the agreement with the MNA Shahid Khattak regarding the said road in the presence of Chief Minister Mehmood Khan and even the two lawmakers from Karak were not invited to the signing ceremony.

The chairman of the Jirga regretted that the PTI-led provincial government was ignoring the opposition lawmakers. Gul said that they were the elected members of the people but said the ruling party remained indifferent towards them.