BAJAUR: The residents of Asil Targaoo area of Barang tehsil here on Sunday announced to boycott the Feb 8 elections in protest against a lack of basic facilities.

Talking to reporters, leaders of Targoo action committee said that the area had population of over 20,000 people, but they lacked facilities in this modern age.

They stated that their area had only one government primary school due to which their children were unable to pursue education for higher classes.

They added that there were no education facilities for girls, depriving them of their basic right to education.

They lamented that there was no healthcare facility in the entire region, forcing the residents to get treatment from the unprofessional and unqualified practitioners.

Moreover, they claimed that there were no facilities of clean drinking water, electricity and roads in the area.

They complained that the development funds under the anti-narcotics programme of the area were diverted to other areas of the district.

The residents alleged that the area was rich in minerals, but they were not getting any uplift funds.

They asked the election candidates to avoid visiting their area for seeking votes.

However, responding to a question, the leaders of the action committee said the area people could review their decision only if they were assured of meeting their demands by the election candidates.

Published in Dawn, january 1st, 2024