Torghar elders flay delay in launch of projects

MANSEHRA: A grand jirga of tribesmen on Thursday demanded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to work for the uplift of women through development schemes in the highly conservative Torghar district.

“An amount of Rs120 million was sanctioned for the development of our district under the European Union-funded programme and 20 percent of this money was supposed to be utilised through women committees. However, the district administration has not constituted these committees,” Zahid Khan, a local elder, told the jirga held in Judbah. The jirga, which was held in order to decide a future strategy to address core issues faced by locals, said that they would come onto the streets if their demands were not met.

“We want women empowerment through development but the district administration is not cooperative with locals in this regard,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Mufti Safiullah said that through Torghar, the erstwhile tribal belt, was given the district status through a presidential order in 2011, people here were still without basic amenities. “There is no middle school for girls in Judbah Tehsil even 10 years after the district was given the status of a district. It seems the government is not serious to develop this backward district,” he added.