GHALANAI: Militants blew up two government schools and a solar-powered tube well in Mohmand Agency in the small hours of Saturday.

Residents said that unidentified militants had planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the government primary school for boys in Mateen Kor area, government primary school for girls in Shano Ghundo area, and a solar-powered tube well in Darwazgai area of Ekkaghund tehsil. They said that the IEDs went off with a bang early on Saturday morning, destroying all the three buildings.

When contacted, agency education officer Said Mohammad confirmed the incident and said that the boys school was recently elevated to high level and the girls school to middle level.

About 128 educational institutions, including Government Degree College Lakaro and three high schools, had been blown up by militants in Mohmand tribal region so far.

People of the area have demanded of the government and donors to reconstruct these schools.

PRICES OF FOOD ITEMS GO UP: Prices of essential food items have increased in Mohmand Agency ahead of Ramazan.

There is no price control system in place, but the political administration intends to set up several committees in different tehsils of the agency to check prices of essentials items.

During a visit to the local market, this correspondent noted that Dal Chana was available at Rs100 per kilogramme compared with last week’s Rs90 per kg, while the per kg price of Dal Mash has jumped from Rs140 to Rs160, Dal Moong from Rs120 to Rs150 and sugar from Rs55 to Rs60. The prices of other commodities, including ghee, rice, gram flour, meat, wheat flour and fruits and vegetables, have also registered significant increase.

“It is a routine that prices of essential food items go up before Ramazan because of no check on the shopkeepers,” said Rasool Khan, a resident of Main Mandi. When contacted, assistant political agent Jamshed Khan said that price control committees would soon be set up in each tehsil.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2014