Former Berimal tehsil chairman Sadiq Wazir calls for the reinstatement of affected village councils in South Waziristan Lower and immediate payment of five months of pending salaries to sanitation workers.
WANA: Former chairman of Berimal tehsil in South Waziristan Lower, Sadiq Wazir, has demanded the immediate restoration of several village councils to the Pak Saaf Cleanliness Programme and payment of five months of outstanding salaries to affected employees.
Wazir expressed concern over the exclusion of Musa Nikka, Zalai, Sare Khaware and other village councils from the programme, alleging that the Local Government Department had failed to address the concerns of affected workers and local communities.
He urged the deputy commissioner of South Waziristan Lower and senior Local Government Department officials to intervene and resolve the matter, saying administrative decisions should be made after visiting the affected areas rather than sitting in Peshawar or Tank.
According to Wazir, several village councils have been removed from the cleanliness programme, putting the jobs of previously employed sanitation workers at risk. He said residents were already facing difficulties because of insecurity, terrorism and unemployment, while the border situation had further reduced employment opportunities for people in parts of Berimal tehsil.
He argued that removing workers from the programme under these circumstances would place additional financial pressure on already struggling families.
Wazir and the affected employees also claimed that salaries for the past five months remained unpaid despite the workers having performed their duties. They alleged that the funds allocated for outstanding salaries were available in the account of the assistant director of Local Government for South Waziristan Lower.
The former chairman questioned the reasons behind the delay and called for transparency regarding the payment of the outstanding dues. He also demanded that officials clarify why workers had not received their salaries despite continuing to perform their assigned responsibilities.
Wazir further said that no formal government notification from Peshawar had been made public regarding the suspension of salaries or termination of the affected employees. He called on the authorities to issue and disclose any such notification, along with the reasons for the decision.
He also raised concerns about the performance of some village council secretaries, alleging that certain officials had failed to fulfil their administrative responsibilities and that some employees had reportedly been confined to their homes, affecting sanitation activities.
However, he maintained that if any negligence had occurred, responsibility should be determined through an impartial review rather than penalising all employees and entire village councils.
Questioning the administrative approach of the assistant director of Local Government, Wazir said the official’s office was located in Wana and called for regular visits to affected village councils to assess conditions and hear directly from residents and workers.
He urged the deputy commissioner, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Department and other relevant authorities to restore the affected councils to the programme, clear all five months of pending salaries and protect workers’ employment.
He also called for a transparent assessment of the performance of village council secretaries and other relevant staff, the disclosure of any official decisions affecting employees, and sufficient time for affected councils to improve their performance.
Wazir said decisions concerning the future of South Waziristan Lower’s residents and employees should be based on conditions on the ground. He stressed that workers’ salaries were their rightful compensation for services rendered and urged the authorities to resolve the dispute without further delay.
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