LANDI KOTAL: A purported pro-government armed group of Bazaar Zakhakhel area in Khyber Agency has invited all national and international non-governmental organisations to carry out development projects in the underdeveloped region.

In a statement issued to the local media, Haji Munshi Zakhakhel, a spokesman for Tauheedul Islam, a purported pro-government peace body, said his group would provide complete security and assistance to all NGOs willing to carry out development work in remote and underdeveloped Bazaar-Zakhakhel area.

He said the entire Bazaar Zakhakhel area had no basic health unit and facilities for girls education.

“Our girls are uneducated as we do not have a single primary schools for them, while most local residents take their ailing family members to Landi Kotal, Jamrud and Peshawar for treatment due to unavailability of health facilities in the area,” he said.

The spokesman said unfortunately, no basic facility had been provided to the local residents despite several requests to the relevant government officials.

“We appeal to NGOs, both national and international, to come to our area for development work. We will provide them with complete security,” he said.

The armed group’s invitation to NGOs for uplift comes at a time when the federal government has stopped most of them from operating in tribal areas.

Tauheedul Islam had parted ways with Bara-based militant outfit, Lashkar-i-Islam, in 2010 after the latter’s activists killed a local cleric for asking them to leave Zakhakhel area.

Since then, both the armed groups have been in conflict, killing each other’s supporters in large numbers.

The TI activists claim they also helped security forces expel the LI from Bazaar Zakhakhel area.

A local resident said there was no clean drinking water in Bazaar-Zakhakhel area forcing the people to drink rainwater accumulated in ponds.

He said local tribesmen and the cattle consumed the same water.

Meanwhile, Jamrud

Armed group invites NGOs to Khyber area for uplift assistant political agent Saiful Islam suspended four health employees, including head of the basic health unit in Paindee Lalma area over dereliction of duty.

He took the action during a visit to the area on Friday when he found all four employees of the BHU to be absent from duty.

Saidul Islam later visited the Government Primary School, Badraga, in Jamrud to meet students, who had boycotted classes to protest the prolonged absence of headmaster and other staff members from duty.

The APA reprimanded the headmaster, who had shown up after learning about the visit.

The APA warned strict action would be taken against absentee teachers.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2015

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