KOHAT: Most schools in Kohat district lack staff, and other basic facilities like good buildings, electricity, latrines and drinking water, according to a report compiled by NGO Alif Ailan.

This was disclosed by Asim Khursheed, district coordinator of Alif Ailan, during a press conference here on Wednesday. According to him, the district ranked 54th in terms of quality of education imparted, and 30th in terms of infrastructure at primary level, among the 151 districts across the country for the year 2016. It ranked 68th and 32nd, respectively, in the previous year, showing some improvement on the both the accounts at primary level, he said.

Similarly, at the middle level, Kohat ranked 63 in terms of education, and 41st in terms of infrastructure, respectively.

Asim Khursheed said at primary level 27 per cent schools were without electricity, 26pc without water, there were no latrines in 40pc schools, and 40pc had dilapidated buildings whereas one per cent had no boundary wall.

At the middle level, 19pc schools were without power, 20pc without water, 30pc lacked latrines, 12pc had dilapidated buildings and two per cent had no boundary wall, he added.

Surprisingly, the report said Malakand area, which was as sometime back famous for extremism and defied writ of the government, topped the list in terms of ensuring good education standard and infrastructure in schools.

Quoting the report Asim Khursheed said there was dire need of revolutionary steps for improving the standard of education and infrastructure in the district.

FISHING BANNED: The fisheries department has banned fishing by net by government contractors in all dams in Kohat, Hangu and Karak districts from June 1 until August 31. However, fishing by rod is allowed.

According a notification issued from the office of the assistant director fisheries, Tahir Jamil Khattak, the ban was slapped under the fisheries ordinance, 1961.

Raiding parties had been constituted under the supervision of inspector fisheries department, Hamid Asghar Afridi, which would check the violators and take legal action against them.

All the government contractors have been formally informed about the ban.

OUTLAW ARRESTED: The Shakardarra police raided a site on Wednesday and arrested a man for allegedly harbouring proclaimed offenders, and also seized huge cache of weapons from there.

Officials said SHO Shakardarra, acting on a tip-off that a proclaimed offender was present in a hideout with intentions of committing a crime, raided a hujra in Mohallah Saddar Khel. However, the PO, Mohammad Nazar alias Nazro, escaped before the raid as someone leaked information to him. However, the police arrested Nisar Ahmed, the hujra owner, who used to give shelter to POs.

They said the police recovered four Kalashnikovs, two rifles, three pistols and hundreds of cartridges from the hujra, adding the arrested man disclosed during interrogation that the arms belonged to the fleeing PO.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2016