Since recent past, Dera Ismail Khan, a district presently known for tempestuousness, has been in the spotlight of print and electronic media with titles ranging from a politico’s rhetoric to casualties resulted from a controversial op to a barbaric attack on some congregation. These pieces, in spite of being aired by some prominent mass medium, lack a significant factor- a local civvy’s premiss.

The district holds an important geo-political position where NWFP, Balochistan and Punjab conjoin. The development graph is dead which is attributed by commoners to the negligence of its leaders, sectarian unrest in the city and lack of proper leadership et cetera. Speaking concisely and having a candid look over the town, the local pols, to the full, can be held culpable for being the causal agent of such misfortune.

The town with a political team having most of its members holding important slots in the government benches is still deprived of basic facilities. In addition to a famous political boss, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, Faisal Karim Kundi, the deputy speaker of National Assembly and Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan belong to such soil as well. In a layman’s language all are busy in making political-cum-financial records of one sort or other.

Much has been said and written aimed at proving their faults, mostly aired from their respective opponent’s clutches- chiefly the journalists and media-persons. Regrettably, the local newspapers with names of rectitude like Voice of Truth, Sobriety and One’s Own Newspaper etc., are in a large part, if not fully, biased. A gift for the reporter may save your name from making displeasing headlines the following day.

Sponsored by anti-maulana-cum-pro-waqar group “Dera Bachao Tehreek (Movement to Save Dera)�, a movement sprouted to openly contradict Maulana’s wrong policies, was hot and served as the sole opposition during the MMA’s regime but during the recent wave of terrorism no such campaign was witnessed. A businessman and investor by caste, Senator Waqar’s contributions to the town are merely limited to an ambulance and an FM radio station publicizing him every five minutes.

On the other hand, Maulana’s busy schedule may not permit him to play part locally but the locals are waiting for his political retirement so that he could serve his religious school as “The First Islamic Vice Chancellor�. The school, also called “Madrassa�, with a vision to impart Islamic education has been under construction for nearly the last decade. The role of the honorable Deputy Speaker, Faisal Kundi, who won the National slot by allying with a PML-Q candidate in an important provincial constituency, was ignored and criticized when he visited for commiseration of terrorism-struck grieved families at Nobel Town and then at PIMS, Islamabad.

Another political family, the Miakhels, have been successful in serving the officialdom with their blarney and by gifting game birds. To boost their score on the scoreboard of media and bureaucracy they are ready to donate their precious falcons but when it comes to dutifulness and honesty the response is, sadly, a bare zippo. Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), which is responsible for maintaining cleanliness and sanitation, is being headed by Tehsil Nazim, Fatihullah Miakhel. Having elected twice for leading the TMA, the Nazim by no means seems interested in playing his due role. Bundles of scrap found throughout the city speak volumes about the inefficiency of the Nazim. The Town Hall, once famous for providing a cleaner air for locals, is now a place for breeding mosquitoes and other causes of spreading diseases. The case is not so with the Town Hall only but every second place under TMA is a procreation center for maladies. Claiming themselves nonpartisans, the media, particularly the local media, is not taking any notice of these silent harms to our society.

Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a catalyst for recent restoration of judiciary, is going to start Dera Chapter. With its noble aims, the initiative expects to attract a huge portion of hoi polloi from the terrorism-torn city. In fact the people, being disappointed from the negligence of their political elders, are longing for a new leadership to sooth their wounds. Doubtlessly, it would be premature to anticipate the party’s progressive responses but it seems to be a turning point in Dera’s history.