MANSEHRA: The doctors, paramedics, and other staff members of the district headquarters hospital in Upper Kohistan on Monday called off their strike against non-payment of salary and resumed all services.

`We successfully convinced around 200 doctors, paramedics, and other staff to end the strike and return to duty to the relief of patients, mostly residents of far-off mountainous areas, deputy commissioner Tariq Ali Khan told reporters.

Nearly 200 employees, including 30 doctors, went on a strike earlier this month against the non-payment of salary for the last six consecutive months by NGO NIDA-Pakistan whomthegovernment has outsourced the hospital.

`On the first day after the strike was called off, the doctors attended to more than 200 patients, including women and children, in various outpatient departments,` the DC said.

He said he acknowledged the griev-ances of doctors, paramedics, and other staff members regarding the non-payment of salary and assured them of an earlyresolution of the issue.

SPEAKER`S REPLACEMENT DENED: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Monday rejected reports aboutthe possiblereplacement of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly`sspeaker, Babar Saleem Swati.

`Our founder, Imran Khan, appointed Mr Swati as the speaker of the assembly and is fully satisfied with his performance as the custodian of the house.

However, vested interests are spreading baseless propaganda and news against him,` divisional secretary general of the PTI Women`s Wing in Hazara Shakila Rabbani told reporters here.

She said that the party`s provincial general secretary, Ali Asghar Khan, had publicly denied the possible replacement of the speaker and other leaders.

Ms Rabbani said Mr Swati had been effectivelyfulfilling his duties as the speaker of the assembly in line with the vision of Imran Khan, with senior party leadership acknowledging his performance.

She noted that the party was monitoring those spreading rumours against leadership on social media.