PESHAWAR: The tribal students have demanded more educational and health facilities for their areas to improve standard of their life.

The demand came during a talent award ceremony organised by Khyber Students Association (KSA), a body consisting of students from Khyber Agency, at a local hotel here on Sunday.

The student leaders threw light on various issues confronted by them and demanded of the government to resolve their problems.

Around 40 tribal students were given awards for their outstanding academic performance in their respective grades. They also demanded re-continuation of scholarship for tribal students, stopped three years ago, and a cadet college in Khyber Agency.

KSA organises talent award ceremony to encourage brilliant students

MNA Shahji Gul Afridi, who was chief guest on the occasion, said that fate of Fata would be changed after its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that laptop scheme would also be extended next month to tribal students in addition to a merit scholarship to be awarded only to poor tribal students.

Jalaluddin Shinwari, a physically challenged student of Islamia College Peshawar, who had recently got a BS computer science degree, was given a special certificate of merit and a tri-wheeler would also be given to him on behalf of MNA Shahji Gul.

Romanullah Afridi, chief of KSA, on the occasion said that tribal people needed modern educational and health facilities so that they could be mainstreamed into national political and democratic process. He said that his organisation conducted different social, sports, literary and cultural activities to create awareness among tribal youth regarding national issues.

Abbas Afridi, general secretary of KSA, said that local political authorities were not cooperating with tribal students to resolve their issues. “We want more educational and health facilities to take part in national development,” he added. He said that KSA would convene a jirga on Fata reforms next month to educate tribal students on their political future.

Ibrahim Shinwari, a tribal journalist, however, regretted that not a single tribal girl student was included in the awardees list. He said that he would volunteer his own daughters next year to help KSA members to make arrangements to include tribal talented girl students in the award programme.

Mr Shinwari said that tribal girl students had also a right to participate in such healthy activities along with tribal boy students.

Later, a Pashto musical concert was conducted in which noted folk singer Hashmat Sahar performed and received a round of applause from the participants. He sang popular numbers of Hamza Baba, Khyber Afridi, Ghani Khan, Rahmat Shah Sail and Mir Nawas Khan. The students tuned to ecstatic tribal dance when he played rhythmical tunes on his harmonium.

Taufeeq Afridi, founder of KSA, also addressed the participants. Yasir Shinwari, a student of Islamia College Peshawar, moderated the show.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2017