MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Mohammad Sajjad on Friday demanded of the federal government to release payments for the land acquired to build an airport in Tanawal area of Mansehra district.

`The federal government should immediately pay dues to the residents, whose land was acquired for the Tanawal airport. If that doesn`t happen, we all will take to the streets, the lawmaker told reporters here.

Mr Sajjad alleged that the federal government wanted to do away with the Tanawal airport project meant to facilitate companies working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the residents of Hazara division.

`We won`t allow the government to abandon the airport project,` he said.

The MNA said his younger brother and sonin-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, had moved a resolution in the National Assembly last year seeking payments for the land acquired for Tanawal airport.

He said he would raise the airport issue in the National Assembly.Meanwhile, the landowners warned that they would block the Kar akor am Highway if the government didn`t pay them for the land acquired for the proposed airport.

`The federal government has transferred Rs350 million to the official bank account of the deputy commissioner and therefore, the move should be given away to us without further delay,` landowner Mohammad Nazeer said.

PROMOTIONS: District education officer Khan Mohammad on Friday said hundreds of BPS-14 and BPS-15 in Mansehra district would be promoted soon.

`Formalities for the teachers` promotion are being fulfilled. Also, 800 posts of primary teachers will be created in the district,` Mr Mohammad told a ceremony held at a Barkund primary school here.

The DEO said children of the education department employees, who had died during service, were being appointed to various posts.

`We are taking ef fective measure to ensure provision of quality education to the students of government schools,` he said urging stakeholders to help enrol out-of-school children.

President of the teachers association Waqar Hussain Shad and educationists Ghulam Jillani, Anwar Shah, Naveed Ahmad and Akmal Khan also addressed the ceremony.