Ex-nazims demand 2-year honoraria

MANSEHRA: Former nazims of the village and neighbourhood councils and deputy nazims of Balakot tehsil have demanded the release of their two-year honoraria and other expenses.

“We have served as nazims and deputy nazims for a period of four years but the Local Government Department didn’t release our honoraria and other expenses of the last two years of our term,” Noor Hussain, the president of Nazmeen Ittehad, told the protesters in Balakot on Monday.

The protesters were raising slogans against the government, which according to them didn’t take action against officials of the Local Government Department who didn’t release their withheld money even years after the end of the system.

“The fresh local government elections are drawing near but the government is yet to release our honoraria and other expenses of the financial year 2017/18 and 2018/19,” said Hussain.Ex-nazim Mohammad Sajid said that former nazims of 44 village and four neighbourhood councils of Balakot were deprived of their perks. He added that they had taken up the issue with the assistant director local government many times but to no avail. “If our withheld money is not released within a week, we will protest outside the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Peshawar,” said Sajid.