MANSEHRA: Four schoolgirls received injuries when gun of a security guard of a private school went off accidentally in Jandar Banda area of the city on Saturday.

“We received four injured girl students and referred one of them to a hospital in Abbottabad,” said Dr Naeem Awan, medical superintendent of King Abdullah Teaching Hospital.

According to police, security guard of Tehzeeb Children Academy, Niaz Mohammad, was overhauling his gun when it went off accidentally and the girl students present there were hit by bullet balls.

Accident occurred when guard was cleaning his gun

Dr Naeem identified the four schoolgirls as grade-3 students Hadeesa Bibi, Iqra Bibi and Hussan Jan and grade-4 student Haleema Bibi.

He said that Haleema was referred to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad, while the other three were discharged after treatment.

He said that Haleema had received a bullet ball near her eye.

Mohammad Riaz, head constable at police reporting centre at Kath, told mediapersons that they had registered the case and started investigation. It is the first such incident at any school in Mansehra after the government allowed the watchmen and teachers to keep arms with them.

OATH-TAKING CEREMONY: Provincial minister for information and higher education Mushtaq Ghani has said that the nation is proud of the law enforcement agencies and journalists, who have rendered great sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

He was speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected office-bearers of Mansehra Press Club on Saturday.

He said that media had played an important role in uniting the nation on a single platform against the ongoing militancy.

Mr Ghani said that PTI chairman Imran Khan had been working sincerely to change the fate of people of province and that was why the right to information and accountably acts were passed.

“Now, one can check the day-to-day financial affairs of the government departments and expose any corruption in the funds and allocation,” he said.

The minister said that thousands of corrupt employees and officers were taken to task for their misdeeds for the first time and resultantly the ratio of corruption had dropped drastically in the province.

He said that the provincial government was taking all possible measures to provide security to schoolchildren at government schools. He said that the parents and other stakeholders should also fulfil their responsibilities and report security issues to the relevant departments.

Mr Ghani said that the federal government had failed to address the core issue of energy shortage being faced by the nation.

He said that the provincial government had also initiated hydropower projects to meet its energy needs. “We have planned to electrify 365 villages across the province with locally-generated power,” he said.

The minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had called an important convention in the federal capital on Sunday (today) in which their party chief Imran Khan would announce future line of action.

He said that the federal government had failed to honour its commitment with his party over the poll-rigging issue.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2015

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