Members of the Area Representative and Development Council (ARDC) and the president of the Bara Traders Association have expressed concern over the possible cancellation of approved development projects in Khyber district, particularly in Bara tehsil.

They have demanded transparent investigations into alleged financial irregularities and corrective measures to address technical flaws instead of removing the projects from the Annual Development Programme (ADP).

Speaking to TNN, Haji Sherin Afridi, an ARDC member from Khyber district, said development projects approved for Khyber, particularly Bara, should continue.

He said that following reports about the possible cancellation of the projects, he had contacted the relevant authorities, while a council meeting had also been convened to discuss the matter.

He stressed that allegations of commissions, financial irregularities and favouritism in awarding contracts should be investigated, but public welfare projects should not be scrapped.

He added that development schemes must be completed using quality materials and in accordance with prescribed procedures. He also emphasised that funds allocated for Khyber district should be spent in the area rather than being surrendered or returned.

Another ARDC member, Izzatullah Hamkhayal, said the council had previously made it clear that development projects should not be cancelled.

According to him, the proposal was to re-examine schemes facing complaints of alleged irregularities, not to scrap them altogether.

He said the projects could temporarily be suspended instead of being cancelled, adding that schemes serving the public interest must be completed. The matter would be discussed further at the council's meeting, he added.

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Meanwhile, Syed Ayaz Wazir, president of the Bara Traders Association, termed the possible cancellation of the projects an injustice to the war-affected tribal population and called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and relevant authorities to intervene.

In a statement, he said Khyber district had remained affected by unrest and conflict for the past two decades, while Bara had also witnessed little development during the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) era.

He said that only a handful of development projects had been approved after the merger of the former tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and these were insufficient to meet the area's needs.

Ayaz Wazir said that if irregularities or technical errors had been found in project procedures, tendering or other matters, they should be investigated transparently and the shortcomings addressed. He added that fresh tenders could be invited where necessary, but the approved projects should not be removed from the ADP.

He expressed concern that reports about the cancellation of projects approved during the tenure of a chief minister from Khyber district had emerged just days after he left office.

He further claimed that no formal committee had so far been constituted, no visits had been made to the relevant areas, and no on-site assessments of the projects had been conducted.

He added that the infrastructure of Bara tehsil and Tirah Valley had been severely damaged by years of unrest, while Afridi tribes in Tirah Valley were still living as internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Under these circumstances, he said, scrapping development projects approved for the area would further aggravate the difficulties faced by the tribal population.

Ayaz Wazir urged the prime minister, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and relevant authorities to ensure transparent scrutiny of all approved development projects in Khyber district, address financial irregularities and technical shortcomings, and ensure the completion of schemes serving the public interest.