Bannu               -           Jirga of bakakhel, Janikhel, and other tribes here on Friday halted work on installing a pipeline within the boundaries of bannu district and asked in writing that the local people be given natural gas as soon as possible. according to jirga members, natural gas was discovered in Mir ali tehsil in north Waziristan, and the government was installing a pipeline via the bannu area. They said that the residents of bannu should be given priority access to natural gas, or else they would not allow the government to lay the gas pipeline in their respective areas. They requested that the government guarantee the pledge in writing. Workers from all political parties have joined forces to collectively fight for the rights of all tribes residing in bannu, regardless of political affiliation. The jirga members said the inhabitants of bakakhel had halted development on the gas pipeline since the government has failed to honour previous promises made to them. They stated that they would allow the pipeline to be built if the government promised and produced written proof that the natural gas discovered in north Waziristan would also be delivered to locals. nadim askar, provincial general secretary of the national Democratic Movement, Malik Muiz Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, abdul Samad Khan, Maulana Sabat ali Khan, Waliullah, and other local elders attended the jirga. Meanwhile, the assistant Commissioner and other district administration officials arrived on the scene and spoke to the people who had stopped work on the gas pipeline project. It was agreed that a jirga would be held on Tuesday at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Bannu to have further talks and address the matter through dialogue. However, development on the gas pipeline would remain halted until the problem was remedied. Village Council chairman Haji Saeedullah, who also heads a committee formed for gas provision, said that they would not allow installation of gas pipeline to Mianwali and other area of Punjab if they people of bakakhel were not given the facility first.