PESHAWAR, Dec 3: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that terrorists are drugging young boys to use them as suicide bombers.

Talking to journalists at University of Peshawar (UoP) here on Monday, he said that five young boys, who were recently arrested in Lakki Marwat and Peshawar, were also drugged by terrorists to prepare them for suicide attacks.

The minister visited UoP to attend the inaugural ceremony of Seminar Hall at Pashto Academy as a chief guest.

“Nowadays terrorists kidnap boys to turn them into suicide bombers. For this they even drug the boys when they are about to be used for suicide attacks,” he said.

Mr Hussain said infighting had started between terrorist groups in Waziristan tribal agencies. The terrorists were opposing and killing each other, he said. He added that the terrorists, who had fled Pakistan, were hiding in Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan but Nato forces were taking action against them.

Earlier while addressing the ceremony, the minister said that the last three years were tough for Pashto Academy. Efforts were made to close it in order to damage Pashto language, however, the government frustrated all such designs, he said.

UoP Vice-chancellor Dr Qibla Ayaz, Pashto Academy Chairperson Dr Salma Shaheen and others academicians also addressed the ceremony.

Peshawar University Teachers Association president Jamil Ahmad Chitrali, teachers and a large number of students were also present on the occasion. The minister directed the quarters concerned to submit a written report about the needs of the academy so that necessary action could be taken in that regard.

He said that provincial government included all mother tongues of the province as compulsory subject in the syllabus from primary to higher secondary level.