PESHAWAR: The members of Kurram Students Organisation (KSO) held a demonstration here on Saturday to protest the alleged delay in disbursement of scholarships among the displaced students from the tribal region.

Led by KSO central president Saleem Khan, the protesting students gathered on Sher Shah Suri Road and chanted slogans in favour of their demand. They held the political agent of Kurram Agency responsible for delay in disbursement of their scholarships. 

Talking to journalists, Saleem Khan said that federal government had announced scholarships of Rs5.3million in 2014 for the displaced students of Kurram Agency but the amount was yet to be disbursed. He said that tribal students were suffering owing to financial constraints.

“We (students) have submitted a joint application for disbursement of our scholarships at the office of political agent in Parachinar but no action has been taken on it despite the passing of one year,” he said and asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan to take notice of the issue.

The KSO leader alleged secretarial staff misbehaved with the students when they visited the office of the political agent to know about progress on their application. He said that the displaced students were enrolled in various public sectors universities in the province but they were facing financial problems to meet their study expenditures. 

The KSO leader threatened to hold pretest demonstration outside the Governor’s House in Peshawar if the scholarships were not paid to them within one week.

On one hand, he said, the educational institutions in lower Kurram had been closed for the last seven years due to militancy in the area and on other hand no basic facilities were available in schools in upper Kurram.

Mr Khan said that the federal government had not announced any comprehensive policy for rehabilitation of tribal areas after remaining in power for two years.

Later, the protesters disbursed peacefully, saying they would take to the streets if their demand was not accepted.

Published in Dawn March 15th , 2015

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