LAKKI MARWAT: A jirga of Bittani tribal elders on Sunday demanded of the government to provide funds for construction of roads and resolving other problems faced by the tribesmen of Frontier Region of Lakki Marwat.

The elders discussed problems facing the tribal people, particularly bad condition of roads in FR Lakki at a meeting. An improved road network is inevitable to achieve the goal of sustainable development, they observed, saying the tribesmen were deprived of basic amenities of life.

The frontier tribal region is lagging behind in all fields and it needs attention of the quarters concerned, they said, reiterating that the tribal elders would launch coordinated efforts to bring the tribalregion on a par with the developed areas.

A tribal chief Malik Raza Khan asked the government to allocate funds for reconstruction of Azadkhel Gazbaba-Chachani road as it linked many tribal localities.

He also asked for removing dangerous steeps in the road which had causedfatalaccidentsin the past.

The tribal elders lamented that the political administration failed to fulfill promises regarding the reconstruction of the road. The government should focus on rebuilding main arteries instead of constructing link roads, they added.

They thanked Pak Army for sincere and practical efforts to maintain peace in the region. They demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to approvefundsfor road and other projects in FR Lakki.

RELIGIOUS LEADER DIES: A noted religious scholar MaulanaMufti Hameedullah Jan passed away in Lakki city on Sunday. He was 77 and had been suf fering from liver cancer since long. His funeral prayers will be offered at Kabir Khan Stadium located on Begukhel road in Lakki city today (Monday).

Born in Nawerkhel village on the outskirts of Lakki city and hailing from a respectable and scholarly family, Muf ti Hameedullah Jan got his early education in Lakki. He completed his graduation from Jamia Binoria, Karachi.

Later, he started teaching religious education at Darul Uloom-iIslamia in Lakki. He also taught in religious seminaries at Chakwal, Karachi and other parts of country.

The deceased remained head mufti at Jamia Ashrafia Lahore for 16 years. Then he established his own seminary Jamiatul Hameed in Lahore where he would impart education to muftis.