Political and religious parties leaders lamented the construction work on Pak-Afgan road

LANDIKOTAL:Political parties and religious leaders from Khyber Agency have demanded from the government to expedite construction work on the Pak-Afghan highway which is hard for  commuters to travel on the dusty road. 
The political leaders were talking to meet the press here in Landikotal on Sunday said that the dust rising from the construction work was causing infectious diseases to common men and children. They asked the Frontier Works Organization  (FWO)and political administration need to curtail masses reservations regarding slow pace of construction work on Pak-Afghan high way.
 Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (J), Qawmi Watan party (QWP) and  MNA’s brother Taj Muhamamd Afridi (representative of Member of National Assembly from NA-45- Shaji Gul Afrid)  and members of civil society participated in the program. The participants urged the FWO to complete the construction of the Pak-Afghan high way from Jamrud subdivision to Torkham as soon as possible to avoid  locals of the area facing troubles while commuting on the road.
   ANP leader Shah Hussain Shinwari said that passengers of both countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan have been facing difficulties and hardships while travelling on Pak-Afghan high way due to the slow pace of construction work.
    Shinwari said that due to the dust rising from the incompleted road causing several diseases of chest and throat. He said that Landiktal administration had totally failed to resolve the issue of locals. Like other parts of the country,local bodies elections were the only solution to empower the masses to solve their basic problems on grass root level.
 
    Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf(PTI) president  Abdur Raziq Shinwari said   tribal people were in the grip of many problems including militancy,poverty and ignorance. He said that Agency Headquarters hospital in Landikotal lacks basic facilities. He said all the minor and serious were always patients referred to Peshawar hospitals due to unavailability of necessary medical equipments and expert staff in the hospital .
 The PTI leader demanded of the authorities to equip the hospital with necessary machinery and provide staff to facilitate patients an easy and less expensive medical treatment at the door step.
Jamaat-e-Islami Fata Naib Ameer, Zarnoor Afridi, told meet the press that Fata based political leadership formed a political parties-led committee to cope with the situation and  to resolve the long standing problems and issues in the tribal regions.
   JI leader asked the political administration to train some Levies and  Khasadar forces personnel to control the mob of the traffic and minimize traffic related accidents and incidents on Peshawar-Torkham high way.He said Peshawar-Torkham road needs to be double track to facilitate the transporters and the passengers, adding that the construction and widening of the road was useless sans bridges on the road at various points.  
   Taj Muhammad Afridi observed that it was a great pleasure to see construction work on Khyber Pass after a long period of sixty years, saying that road construction problems were natural, but the people need to be patient so that construction work remain in progress peacefully. The concerned authorities were requested to arrange water tankers to sprinkle water on the road to down the dust to facilitate the commuters.He said meeting with FWO authorities would soon be arranged to apprise them of the public grievances and reservations regarding slow pace of construction work.
    Tanzeem Ahle Sunnath Wal Jamaat’s representative Maulana Shoib suggested to contact the authorities to take notice of the turtle speed of construction work on the roadHe said the slow pace of the construction has disturbed the normal life on the both sides of the road. QWP leader also seconded the other leaders on the issue and stress for unity among political leadership in future as well.