October 26, 2008	Sunday	Shawwal 26, 1429

MANSEHRA, Oct 25: Provincial Minister for Haj and Auqaf Nimroz Khan has warned the teachers of the Kala Dhaka tribal area to end the absenteeism or face termination.

It is a fact that most of the teachers of Kala Dhaka are settled abroad, but have been receiving their salaries every month, which has shattered the education structure in the tribal belt, he deplored while speaking at public meetings in Baffa and Ghazikot here on Saturday.

Mr Nimroz said that the government had established about 148 male and 53 female schools in the Kala Dhaka since last four decades but most of them were either destroyed or being used as cattle-pens by the locals.

He claimed that after assuming the responsibilities as minister he had restarted 22 male and 3 female schools in the area as it was his prime objective to bring the neglected area at par with the developed areas of the province.

The minister said, “I have made it clear to the teachers and education department that I want all the absent teachers on the duties with immediate effect, otherwise they would be fired from service without any furtherer procedure.” Mr Nimroz said that the government was giving top priority to the law and order situation in the province as unless there was peace and harmony no investment would come to the region, which was the backbone of the economy.

He said, “Our government, after coming into power, launched peace talks with the militants in Swat, Hangu and other settled areas and signed the ceasefire agreements with them but same were shattered through a conspiracy hatched by invisible hands as a result the government was left with no other option but to launch the military operation to establish its writ.”

The provincial minister said the government had been engaged in talks with those militants who laid down arms and were willing to come to the negotiation table. “I am optimistic that this time positive results would come out and people of the province would hear good news as once again a permanent peace would prevail in the province.”