Senator Dost Mohammad Mehsud has claimed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has agreed to change the name of the newly-established Upper South Waziristan to Mehsud district.
In a statement issued, he expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other quarters concerned for agreeing in principle to the renaming of the district in line with the popular sentiment of the people of the area.
The senator also demanded a special development package for the newly-bifurcated district in order to accelerate the pace of development and progress of the militancy-plagued area.
Senator Dost Mohammad proposed proper demarcation of the Mehsud and Wazir areas in line with the demographical, historical, and racial realities and sentiments in order to avoid any misgivings that might lead to tribal rivalries in the future.
He said that keeping in view these principles, the Gomal valley, parts of Shakai having Mehsud dominance, including Balla Pather and Tayarzia, be included in the newly-divided Mehsud district.
Senator Dost Mohammad asked the provincial government to build a dual highway connecting Mehsud district with Afghanistan via the Shawal valley to promote cross-border trade for generating viable socioeconomic activities in the area.
The senator also demanded separate National Assembly seats for both the districts of the erstwhile South Waziristan.
Earlier in the mid of October, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government formally divided the South Waziristan tribal district into two distinct administrative territories representing the separate demographic tribal entities of the Mehsud and Ahmadzai Wazir tribes.
The official notification said that South Waziristan had been divided into two districts; South Waziristan Upper and South Waziristan Lower. The decision has been taken under the Land Revenue Act, of 1967.
Spinkai Raghazai has been notified as the headquarters of the newly-created Upper district. Tiarza, Serwakai, Shawal, Ladha, Makin, Shaktui and Sararogha have been made tehsils of South Waziristan Upper.
Wana has been declared as the headquarters of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe-dominated South Waziristan Lower district. The lower district comprises one sub-division (Wana) and four tehsils, including Wana, Shakai, Tolkhela, and Birmal.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now has 36 districts with the bifurcation of South Waziristan.
