Mansehra: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership has taken a major step towards resolving the longstanding graveyard crisis in Mansehra, which has intensified across the district following the rapid growth in population after the 2005 earthquake.
The shortage of suitable burial space has remained a serious concern for residents, particularly in the urban areas, where existing graveyards have increasingly become congested. The issue was further complicated by proposals to acquire land in distant and inaccessible locations for new graveyards.
In a significant development, Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has directed the Deputy Commissioner Mansehra to de-notify the land identified in remote areas for graveyards in four urban union councils and facilitate the process of identifying more suitable and accessible sites.
PML-N leader and former member of the provincial assembly Sardar Zahoor said former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had released Rs200 million in 2016 for the construction of graveyards and purchase of land in four urban union councils.
He said the allocation reflected the PML-N leadership’s efforts to address the growing burial-space shortage in Mansehra and provide a sustainable solution to the problem.
The matter was also taken up by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Following the intervention, the relevant authorities moved towards reconsidering the proposed locations and ensuring that graveyards were established at sites accessible to the local population.
The PML-N leadership has welcomed the latest development as a major step towards resolving an issue that has remained a source of concern for people across Mansehra for years.
The development has also drawn political attention as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PML-N leaders and local residents have expressed the view that, despite the graveyard shortage being a longstanding public concern, the PTI provincial government did not give the issue the required attention during its tenure.
The criticism comes as the PTI-led provincial government remains in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Residents said graveyards should be located close to populated areas and at sites with proper road access so that bereaved families do not face additional difficulties.
