KALAYA: Local youth in Upper Orakzai subdivision on Wednesday expressed concerns over the suspension of administrative affairs and the non-posting of key district officials, saying the situation has created severe difficulties for the public in routine government matters.
Speaking at a press conference, they said that Upper Orakzai was currently without an assistant commissioner, Tehsildar and other administrative officers, leaving residents without access to basic official services.
Malik Bilal Orakzai said the district administration had earlier promised that the deputy commissioner and other senior officers would perform duties for three days in Upper Orakzai Ghiljo and three days in Lower Orakzai Kalaya headquarters, but the promise has yet to be implemented.
He alleged that all district offices and mega development projects had been shifted to Lower Orakzai, while Upper Orakzai had been neglected.He said that district offices in Upper Orakzai Ghiljo were formally inaugurated but were closed immediately afterward, terming it an injustice to residents.
He added that people from terrorism-affected areas were still deprived of government relief cheques.Another speaker, Abdul Amin, said that the deputy commissioner and District Police Officer were also not performing duties in Upper Orakzai, forcing residents to travel long distances for domicile certificates, land records (fard), and other administrative matters.
He said that people have to undertake lengthy journeys merely to obtain a single official signature.They demanded that the Orakzai district headquarters be established at a central and easily accessible location suitable for all tribes, and that the district offices established in Upper Orakzai Ghiljo be made fully functional.They warned that if their demands were not accepted within 15 days, they would launch a long march towards the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar.
