MINGORA: A sports festival began at Grassi Ground in Mingora on Tuesday to celebrate the rehabilitation of schools, which were destroyed during militancy in Swat district.

The week-long festival has been organised by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in collaboration with the district administration to convey a message of peace to world and celebrate reconstruction of destroyed schools in the area.

Speaking on the occasion, PDMA Director General Mohammad Tahir Orakzai said that provincial government was taking steps for reconstruction of all those government buildings that were destroyed in the area. He added that 122 schools were destroyed during unrest in the district.

“Of them 86 schools have been reconstructed with the support of USAID,” Mr Orakzai said. He said that the sports festival was aimed at celebrating the rehabilitation of the damaged schools and to convey a message of peace to the world.

He said that they wanted to inform the world Swat was peaceful. He said that they were taking steps to develop Malakand division where different uplift programmes were underway.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Mahmood Aslam Wazir said that the festival would continue till August 27. He said that students were provided opportunities at the festival to show their talents in different games.

DENGUE CASES: Six more dengue cases were detected on Tuesday at Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital, bringing the number of dengue patients during the current season to 93 in Mingora city.

According to the hospital sources, five residents of Faizabad including Neghat, Zarmina, Shamim Akhtar, Fazl Khaliq and Hayat Shah were tested positive for dengue fever.

They added that another patient identified as Amina, a resident of Sehti Amankot, was also tested positive for dengue fever during the last 24 hours.

Sources said that after the six new cases, the number of dengue patients reached to 93. They said that 77 patients were discharged from the hospital after completion of treatment while 11 were still under treatment.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014