Saturday, August 15, 2009

Restrictions, curfew irk residents of Dargai

PESHAWAR: Frequent restrictions on businesses and curfews for security reasons continue to cause problems for the people of Dargai, a town in Malakand Agency, despite the conclusion of major anti-Taliban military operations in Swat and return of most of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their areas.

A number of people in Dargai said their routine activities were widely affected by the restrictions although some relaxation has now been given in the curfew hours. They said the elected representatives of the area never turned up to provide relief to the people whose businesses were affected during the last three months.

Shergarh, Dargai, Sakhakot and Batkhela towns are part of Malakand Agency, which is a provincially administered tribal area (Pata). These towns mostly remained under curfew during the past three months to ensure safety of both military and civilian convoys coming from and going back to Swat.

Traffic usually would stop on the road passing through Dargai bazaar after 5pm till 10am in the morning. The markets used to remain closed in Dargai, Sakhakot and Batkhela, affecting the economic conditions of the businessmen and the labour attached to their businesses.

Khalid Mahmood, assistant relief officer with International Committee of the Red Cross in Malakand Agency, told The News that the people of these areas were equally affected by the trouble in Swat and Dir.

He said he had received Rs16,000 electricity bill for the past three months. “I can pay it as I have a job, but what about a labourer or a shopkeeper who did not work and whose business remained closed for most of the time over the past three months,” argued Khalid Mahmood.

Apart from business and labour community, students were also affected and many of them lost time to prepare for the examinations.

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