LAKKI MARWAT: The peasant and youth councillors of Lakki Marwat district on Tuesday warned they would agitate if the government didn`t give them share in development funds besides paying salary and other perks and privileges.

The warning was issued during a meeting here, where members of village councils showed up in large numbers.

Peasant councillor from Tajazai Osmanullah said the government should provide due rights to peasant and youth councillors if it wanted to strengthen local government system in the province.`The peasant and youth councillors are being ignored by nazims and deputy nazims of village councils in all administrative and financial matters, he said.

Another peasant councillor from Kakakhel, Gul Faraz, said the government had released huge development funds for village councils but nazims didn`t bother to consult peasant and youth councillors on the use of that money.

`The government should fix the share of peasant and youth councillors in development funds,` he said.

Youth councillor Ikramullah said the government should make it mandatory for village council nazims to give the proposed developmental schemesof peasant and youth councillors top priority.

He also asked the government to offer peasant and youth councillors the salary and other perks and privileges.

The councillor feared nazims would bypass peasant and youth councillors during the budget approval by the council.

Other councillors, including Fareedullah, Sadiullah, Kifayatullah, Abdul Waheed and Khalid Khan, asked the government to execute uplift schemes for the betterment of farmers, labourers and youths with the consent and consultation of peasant and youth councillors.

They also demanded of the government to change policyregarding executing developmental works at the grassroots levelthrough contractors.

Later, the councillors met district nazim Ishfaq Ahmad Khan Meenakhel, assistant commissioner Sher Alam Khan and PTI district organiser Saleem Nawaz Khan and apprised them of their problems and demands.

PEACE MUST FOR UPLIFT: Praising the people of Frontier Region Lakki Marwat in maintaining peace, deputy commissioner Mohammad Bakhtiar on Tuesday said sustainable peace was inevitable for development.

`Without peace, the goals of uplift and development cannot be achieved,` he told a delegation of tribal chiefs during ameeting in his office.

Bakhtiar, who is also the political agent of FR Lakki Marwat, said Bettanni tribesmen of the region were patriot and that they always supported political administration and law-enforcement agencies in maintaining peace in the region.

He said peace and harmony opened the way for development and therefore, tribal elders should realise their responsibilities and come forward to play an effective role for ensuring durable peace in their region.

The deputy commissioner said the political administration would leave no stone unturned to resolving the problems faced by the tribal people.