LOWER DIR: A Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl-called multiparty conference in Maidan here on Monday decided to form a jirga to address the pressing local issues.

The participants emphasised the need for improving the law and order, expediting the construction of Category-D Hospital in Lal Qila and Maidan-Kalpani Road, promoting tourism, resolving funding shortages in development projects, and constructing a bypass to alleviate traffic congestion in Kambat Bazaar.

JUI-F Lower Dir general secretary Maulana Mohammad Huzaifa, patron-in-chief Syed Naik Mohammad, JUI-F Maidan tehsil chief Maulana Rohul Amin, Jamaat-i-Islami district youth president Atiqur Rehman, PPP`s Sajid Iqbal, social activist Behrawar Syed, PML-N`s Jehanzada, PTI`s Salim Khan, and others spoke on the occasion.

They said the jirga would meet the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and governor to highlight the region`s issues and seek solutions.

A major demand of the conference was the immediate completion of Government Girls Degree College, Maidan.

MOBILE PHONE SNATCHED: A robber snatched a mobile phone from a shopkeeper in Kambat Bazaar on Sunday night.

Imran told journalists that he was at his shop when a man entered there, pretending to be a customer. `The suspect handed over an old mobile phone, seemingly for repair, and urged him to fix it quickly. He then asked to see a new phone and inquired about its price. The moment I handed over the phone, the suspect suddenly bolted out of the shop, jumped onto a running motorcycle, and fled,` the trader said.

The Samarbagh police registered a case and initiated aninvestigationinto theincident.

GUJJAR YOUTH FORUM: The Gujjar Youth Forum has called for unity among the Gujjar community, emphasising the need for education and political representation to ensure progress.

The demand was made at a Gujjar national unity convention held in Siyah Adenzai area on Monday.

The speakers highlighted the community`s significant contributions to various sectors.

Central chairman of Gujjar Youth Forum Chaudhry Iftikhar Bursa, vice-chairman (UAE) Sardar Raza Khan, Malik Raza Khan Khattankhel, Rashid Khan (Azad Kashmir), Sardar Sikandar Bhola (Punjab), Malik Shehzad Gujjar (chief of Gujjar), Malik Naseem Khan (Upper Dir), Malik Nazir Khan, Malik Jalat Khan (Swat), Usman Fanoos and others spoke on the occasion.

The speakers criticised the provincial government for allegedly taking control of the ancestral forests of the Gujjar community and attempting to evict them from their mountainous lands. They declared such actions unacceptable and vowed to resist any `forced` displacement.