Ex -LG reps in Mansehra threaten to launch protest

MANSEHRA: The former village and neighbourhood council’s nazims on Tuesday threatened to launch an agitation against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government if it did not pay the pending honourarium and other facilities to them.

“The local government system was wrapped up in 2018 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but we are still deprived of our honourarium, offices rent, refreshment and utility bills,” Mohammad Saleem Khan, the former nazim of Shawal Mazullah Village Council told reporters after a meeting of nazims of over 38 village and neighbourhood councils in Balakot on Tuesday.

The meeting, which attended by ex-nazims of entire Balakot tehsil, decided to launch a street agitation if the government didn’t release Rs288,000 dues of each village and neighbourhood council nazim.

Khan said that each village and neighbourhood council nazim had paid offices rents, telephone and electricity bills, refreshment and other expense from their own pockets.

“The PTI government should immediately release nazims’ dues without any further delay otherwise we would come onto streets for our rights,” said Sajid Khan, the nazim of Hassah village council.

He said that nazims of over 38 village and neighbourhood councils were assembled at Balakot strictly following Covid-19 standard operation procedure and decided to come onto streets if their demand was not met within a week.

“The government had paid us the honorarium, offices rents and other facilities of first two terms of the four years local government,” he added.