SWABI: The residents of four areas of Topi tehsil took to streets on Tuesday to demand of the government to divide their 18,000-kanal common land (Shamilat) among them.

The protesters were led by Swabi Islahi Jirga president Gul Mast Khan. The local eaders of various political parties and jirga members of the four areas took part in the protest.

The protesting villagers gathered at Topi Bazaar and marched to the under-construction tehsil offices where the demonstration was converted into a public meeting. The leaders of the jirga and elders addressed the gathering.

The people of Batakara, Topi, Pontaya andKotha claimed that they had common land (Shamilat) at the bank of Indus River. They said that the land should be divided among them according to the shamilat rules, earlier applied by the government in different areas of the district. They said that court had already delivered a verdict about the division of the common land.

`We want the district administration to play its role in it. It should come forward to divide the land among the rightful people and vacate it from the few people, who have occupied it,` said Mr Gul Mast. He said that the jirga had already passed a resolution and sent it to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar.

He said that they were ready to donate the land for construction of a college or any other facility.

Zahid Khan Tahirkheli, a prominent elder of Kotha village, said that they had already brought the issue into the notice of the officials concerned but they could not wait more. `Delay in the division of land has created frustration among the people and they are forced to stage the protest,` he said.

Officials of the tehsil administration assuredthe leaders of the protesters that after completion of the upcoming anti-polo campaign they would take steps for division of the land among the people of the four areas.

The protesters dispersed peacefully after the assurance of the officials.

TRADERS: The local traders also held a protest demonstration against the ongoing antiencroachment drive of the district administration here on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ali, district president of Anjuman-i-Dokandaran, led the protesting traders, who marched to Karnal Sher Khan Chowk in a procession.

The traders said that they were angered by removal of shades from their shops. They said that it was their right to build shades over their shops while the district administration had taken action against them.

Mr All said that it was unjust to remove the shades. He said that they had given call for another protest demonstration on Wednesday.

The local leaders of all political parties were invited to participate in the protest, he added.