LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) chief and former provincial minister Inayatullah Khan has claimed that containers carrying imported solar panels had been lying uncleared at Karachi Port for over a year, causing a national loss exceeding Rs100 billion.

Speaking to reporters here the other day, he said the consignments did not belong to any government project but were owned by private importers. Citing a recent investigative column published in a national daily, he claimed that institutional inefficiency and inter-departmental conflicts had kept the containers stranded for years.

Mr Khan described the situation as more than administrative mismanagement, calling it a serious blow to the national economy. He said valuable equipment was deteriorating at ports while the government had failed to take timely action.

He said the total value of the solar panel stood between Rs150 billion and Rs200 billion in 2023. Due to prolonged delays and ‘flawed’ policies he claimed their value had now fallen to around Rs50 billion.

He said had the consignments been cleared or auctioned in time, the national exchequer could have earned at least Rs100 billion. He attributed the delay to a tug-of-war between Pakistan Customs and the Post Clearance Audit (PCA), which he said had paralysed the clearance process.

Mr Khan further alleged despite directives issued by the prime minister regarding the disposal of the containers, auctions had not been conducted.

In a separate development, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leaders have termed seminaries strong fortresses of Islam.

Addressing a Khatm-i-Bukhari Sharif ceremony in Maidan Kumbar, JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deputy chief and former MPA Mufti Fazal Ghafoor, along with other leaders, said the sacrifices of religious scholars in the creation of Pakistan were well known.

They urged the government to support seminaries instead of taking action against them, saying such patronage would help strengthen religious values and curb social evils.

DEATH ANNIVERSARY: The 18th death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was observed with respect at the People’s House in Toor Qila, Jandol, here on Saturday. The event was organised by PPP Lower Dir chapter.

Speakers paid tribute to Benazir Bhutto’s sacrifices for democracy, saying she had never bowed before dictatorship and had laid down her life for the people.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2025