PESHAWAR  -  Elected representatives of the lo­cal governments here on Tuesday went on a week-long strike in pro­test against the absence of devel­opment funds for the chairmen of neighbourhood and village coun­cils.

During a news conference held at the Peshawar Press Club, lead­ers of an action committee, in­cluding Imran Salarzai, Malik Tariq, Mehmoodul Hassan, Kam­ran Nazir, and others, expressed their grievances. They warned of a province-wide protest campaign if the government failed to address the issue promptly.

Highlighting the government’s inaction over the past two years in addressing the problems faced by elected representatives at the lo­cal level, they criticised both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the previous caretaker government for neglect­ing these issues.

They mentioned that elect­ed representatives were denied honorariums due to alleged fund shortages, making it difficult for neighbourhood councils’ chair­men to cover office rent. They stressed the need to address civic issues and provide better services to constituents.

Despite the PTI’s re-election in the province, they lamented that the party, which claimed to have reformed the system, had instead taken measures that undermined it.

They criticised the government for allocating millions of rupees for ministerial luxuries while de­priving local governments of es­sential development funds meant for public welfare.

They also announced plans to besiege the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly during the next session if the government failed to rectify the [LG] systemic mistake.

NC/VC secretaries stage demo: Meanwhile, the All Secretaries As­sociation staged a protest rally outside the Peshawar Press Club, demanding their upgradation to next scales.

Led by association president Li­aqat Ali Khan Jhagra, the protest­ers held banners and placards dis­playing slogans supporting their demands.

They voiced opposition to the allocation of 30 percent of their quota to assistants and urged the government to retract the deci­sion immediately. If their demands were not met, they threatened to escalate their protest after four days, as directed by the provincial action committee.