KOHAT, Sept 29: The all-important posts of chairman and secretary of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Kohat, have been lying vacant for the last one month due to a tussle between various political parties, sources said.

They said that the political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, had been engaged in a tug of war with each other to appoint ‘own’ secretary and chairman of the board. The sources alleged that local PTI parliamentarians had been misguiding the provincial leadership in this regard and putting pressure on them to get party favourites appointed to the two key posts.

The sources said that these posts also remained vacant in past at the crucial time of examinations, which resulted in frequent cheating in examinations. In some cases the students were even given answer sheets after the examination to solve them at home and then return to the board, the sources alleged.

People and educationists have demanded appointment of capable and qualified persons to these posts to end favouritism in exams and ensure that talented students got their due positions.

PEACE URGED: Muttahida Qabail Party has said that the present spree of terrorism is a ploy of enemies of the country to derail the peace process with Taliban.

Talking to media persons here, MQP vice-chairman Habib Noor Afridi said that the political parties and military top brass should devise a joint policy to tackle terrorism. He said that the government should make arrangements to protect the lives and properties of citizens, including minorities.

Meanwhile, an explosive device was defused by bomb disposal squad at the Railway Colony here on Sunday.

Sources said that the residents informed the police soon after noticing a suspicious ghee tin in a quarter. The police sent a bomb disposal squad, which found the bomb and defused it.

The Bannu Pathak police station has registered a case against unknown miscreants. —Correspondent