The employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department in Lower South Waziristan on Friday started a protest against the non-payment of salaries to hundreds of forest guards and other workers recruited for the maintenance of the forests for the last one year.

Zahid Noor Wazir, Tariq Wazir and Hayat Wazir, who led the protest in Azam Warsak Bazaar demanded the Secretary of the Forest Department and District Forest Officer (DFO) of South Waziristan to release the salaries the forest guards called negahban so that they can buy food items for their families.

On the other hand, South Waziristan DFO Zeeshan sent a letter to the authorities requesting for the release of funds to pay the salaries to the forest guards. As many as 375 enclosures were established in this Forest Division. Subsequently, Neghbaans were employed to look after these enclosures. But the office has been unable to pay wages due to the non-availability of the funds.

Source: The News