LANDI KOTAL: Five of total six girls’ schools in Kamarkhel area of Bara have not been reopened yet despite official announcements and assurances.

Parents and elders in the area said that with almost all displaced families from Kamarkhel area already rehabilitated to their homes till December last year, only one girls school in Adam Khan Kallay had been reopened, while schools located in Sakhi Jan Kallay, Malak Sheen Akbar Kallay, Said Ghani Kallay in Tawda Cheena and Haji Nam Akbar Kallay in Alladhand area were yet to be made operational.

The local elders, including Malik Said Rasan, Malik Zainullah and Malikzada Jan Wali, alleged that teachers of the closed schools were drawing salaries regularly while sitting in homes.

They said that the matter was brought into the notice of the political administration and education department, but no efforts were made to reopen the schools and ensure attendance of teaching staff.

They also demanded provision of furniture in the boys’ schools.

Meanwhile, a 16-member committee of traders of Bara bazaar has issued notices to all the shopkeepers to renew their rent contracts of their previous shops with the market owners before Feb 20 after which their old contracts would be deemed cancelled.

Almost all shopkeepers had abandoned their shops in Sept 2009 when a military operation was started in

Bara and no one had renewed their rent contract with the owners since then.

“The committee wanted to ensure that all the shops are handed over to their previous occupants,” Mohammad Ali Afridi, a member of the committee, said.

Shops in part of Bara bazaar were reopened on Feb 5 after completion of the road from old Bara bazaar to Alamgudar.

BODY RECOVERED: A bullet-riddled body of a young man was recovered from Malak Shaga area of Jamrud on Tuesday.

A Khasadar official said that Nabiullah had left home on Monday evening after he allegedly received a phone call from a friend.

The next day, Daudzai police informed the Jamrud administration about the recovery of his body from a dry stream.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2016