KHAR, Sept 23: A girl from Bajaur Agency has clinched the top position in the annual Malakand University examinations of Bachelor of Arts by securing 443 of the total 550 marks.Marina Sultana, a student of the Government Girls Degree College, Khar, told reporters on Monday that she was very happy over the accomplishment.

“It’s a great honour for me and the region to achieve position in the BA examination and I hope it’ll help promote girls education in the region,” she said.

The girl said she would like to join the civil service to use her abilities for the betterment of tribal women, who were in distress.

Also in the day, lawmakers and tribal elders of Bajaur Agency welcomed Prime Minister Nawaz Shairf’s Rs20 billion development schemes for youth in the country and urged the government to extend the schemes to the tribal areas.

MNA Haji Bismillah Khan‚ Senator Hidayat Khan and elders Malik Sultan Zeb Khan, Malik Ayaz Khan and Malik Abdul Aziz told reporters here that the youth schemes announced by the prime minister were the need of the hour as they would help create better job opportunities for the youth and thus, improving the country’s socioeconomic conditions.

They demanded that the schemes be extended to the militancy-hit tribal areas, where most youths were jobless.

The lawmakers and elders said a special package in the tribal areas was very important for the rehabilitation of basic facilities and restoration of economic activities.

They said they were hopeful that the prime minister would not only extend the development package to the youth of tribal areas but would also announce special development package for the entire tribal areas.

Meanwhile, Bajaur Agency Political Agent Abdul Jabbar Shah on Monday said forests played a vital role to boost economy and the political administration was keen to promote forestry in the agency.

He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the monsoon tree plantation campaign in Khar.

Tribal elders, social workers and officials were present on the occasion.

The political agent said forestry was not only necessary for a green environment but was also playing a vital role for economic growth in tribal areas.

“Forestry is a major source of income for tribesmen as most people in the region have no other jobs,” he said.

Mr Shah said like other sectors, forestry also had suffered badly due to militancy in the region.

He urged the officials of the forest deportment to begin new tree plantation projects in the remote and backward areas of the agency.

The political agent asked the officials to ensure proper monitoring system of the plantation campaign and should give preference to the mountains areas in the current tree plantation campaign.

On the occasion, Divisional Forest Officer Shafqat Munir briefed the political agent on his department’s activities, including the current plantation campaign.

He said more than a half million saplings would be planted in various areas of the agency during the campaign.