Bajaur contractors awaiting dues for two years.

BAJAUR -- The All Bajaur Government Contractors Association on Saturday threatened to stop work on development schemes if dues were not cleared immediately.

Addressing a news conference at the Bajaur Press Club, the association's president Gul Kareem Khan, Haji Sher Gazan, Eng Mohammad Safdar, Lal Badsha and Haji Shaukat said the contractors had not been paid dues since the former Fata was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa about two years ago.

They said the government did not give the reasons for withholding the payments.

They said total withheld dues amounted to Rs166 million, adding most of the development schemes had been completed two years ago.

They said most of the unpaid dues pertained to the communication and works and elementary and secondary education departments.

They recalled that when the contractors had got the work orders of the development schemes, the relevant officials had assured them to pay the dues on completion of schemes.

The leaders of the contractors association said they had been executing government-sponsored development schemes in the area for last several decades.

They said the unnecessary delay in payments had caused serious problems for contractors as they had no other sources to manage their expenses.

The association's leaders said both the federal...