SWABI: Speakers at a function to kick start school enrollment campaign here on Tuesday noted that one of the main reasons behind the spread of militancy in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, had been illiteracy.

The function held at the Government High School, Swabi, was attended by officials of education department, district administration and teachers.

Later, the participants also held a march from the school to Karnal Sher Khan Chowk to create awareness among people about the importance of sending their children to school.

Speaking on the occasion, Swabi Assistant Commissioner Imran Hussain said without imparting quality education to children it was not possible to realise the dream of economic prosperity. “Education is prerequisite to economic progress and development of a nation,” he added.

He said the public sector schools in the district should improve their performance to encourage the parents to get their children enrolled there.

Jehan Mohammad, district education officer, said the objective of the campaign was to ensure enrolment of all the targeted children. He said if the enrolment target was achieved, it would lead to appointment of more teachers and provision of better facilities at schools.

The school principal Jihad Mohammad said role of primary schoolteachers in making the enrolment drive a success was critical.

WORKERS TO RESIST TRANSFERS: District council employees on Tuesday vowed to resist their transfers to tehsil municipal administrations (TMAs) under a new policy.

They were speaking at a meeting presided over by Mohammad Zahid, provincial general secretary of the district council employees association.

The participants said TMA workers were already not paid salary on time and the transfer of district council workers to the cash-starved municipal bodies would add to workers’ misery. They asked the government to reconsider its decision in the best interest of workers. They warned of staging protest demonstrations if the decision was not taken back.

PML-N DEMAND: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) activists on Monday demanded that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf give up the ‘politics of confrontation’ and let the country progress.

They said PTI chief Imran Khan’s politics of sit-ins had been ‘harming’ the country. PML-N district president Iftikhar Ahmad Khan and general secretary Dildar Khan said the international monetary agencies had acknowledged that Pakistan was on track to economic progress.

DRUG TRAFFICKERS ARRESTED: The police arrested three alleged drug traffickers and recovered eight kilogrammes of contraband from their possession here on Tuesday.

District police officer Javid Iqbal said Murad Khan was arrested by city police from Maneri Bala along with a good quantity of charas, a pistol and cartridges. The DPO said Abdullah Khan of Gulu Dheri was held with a Kalashnikov and charas. Naseer Khan hailing from Kotha village was nabbed by the city police with a good quantity of the contraband.

Separate FIRs were registered against the alleged drug traffickers.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2016