MANSEHRA: A jirga representing the people of Palas tehsil on Saturday announced the suspension of protests against the bifurcation of Kohistan district.

The development came after adviser to the chief minister Zargul Khan announced the government would either retain Palas as a tehsil of Upper Kohistan district or declare it district headquarters of Lower Kohistan district.

`We`ll communicate our decision on your demand to you soon,` he told the jirga.

The government had tasked Mr. Zargul with holding talks with people of Palas over protests against the notification of Kohistan`s bifurca-tion.

Among participants were MPA Maulana Asmatullah and other elders of Palas tehsil, who said if the government accepted their demands, they would vote for the PTI in the next elections.

Maulana Asmatullah said the people of Palas wanted to remain part of Upper Kohistan.

`We don`t want to be part of Lower Kohistan district but if you (government) insist on our becoming part of the new district, then instead of Pattan, we (Palas) should be given the status of district headquarters of Lower Kohistan,` he said.

The lawmaker said if the demand was met, the people of Palas would abandon protests and won`t create hurdles to local power projects.

He said Palas was more populated than Pattan and had more union councils than Pattan.

Mr. Zargul Khan said the government would do whatever was necessary to ease tensions in the region.

Last week, the Supreme Court had upheldthe chief minister`s decision to bifurcate Kohistan into two districts i.e. Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan.

CHAPLI KABAB SALES: The shops selling Chapli Kabab in Mansehra and on its outskirts have reported higher sales due to the cold wave.

With the temperature dropping considerably in the region due to the recent rains and snowfall, more and more foodies are visiting Chapli Kabab shops on Abbottabad Road, Shinklari Road and Kashmir Road and in Lari Adda area.

`We are here to have scrumptious Chapli Kabab first to satisfy our taste buds and second to beat the cold,` said Mohammad Jabran.

He said Mansehra, which was known for delicious Chapli Kabab, had been attracting large crowds of meat lovers for few weeks.

Mohammad Nazim selling kebabs on Zafar Road confirmed higher sales.

`Our kebabs served with yogurt chutney sell like hot cakes in the winter season,` he said.