GHALANAI: The Khwezai tehsil of Mohmand Agency, which borders Afghanistan, has no high school either for boys or girls, forcing the students to quit education after passing the middle classes.

Khwezai is the most backward area with a population of approximately 60,000 people.

A number of schools, health units and other projects were completed before the militancy plagued the region in 2008, destroying most of the government properties.

Haji Fazli Khaliq, a local elder, told Dawn that health and education were the basic issues facing the people, saying most of the girls were forced to quit studies after passing the middle as there was no high school in the tehsil.

A rural health centre in Atta area was short of doctors, paramedics and other basic facilities like laboratory, X-rays and medicines, elder Imdad Khan said.

He said the nearest girls high school from the tehsil was at a distance of about 12 kilometres in Hameed Khan Qilla area of Haleemzai tehsil, which the students could not afford to go.

The locals demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to resolve the issues facing them.

Meanwhile, residents of Biazai tehsil have demanded a separate Nadra swift registration centre. The demand was made during a jirga of elders of Barakhel, Mirokhel and Musakhel tribes with the local administration officials the other day.

They also demanded reopening of the Pak-Afghan trade route in Gursal area to give impetus to the local economy.

The elders assured their full cooperation to the administration and security forces in maintaining law and order in the border areas. They said the government should start mega development works in the militancy-hit subdivision.

The elders said the local administration should establish a separate Nadra centre for the tribesmen in Biazai because they were facing difficulties in getting their CNICs at the Ghalanai centre.

They said there were no proper health and educational facilities in the area and urged the government to provide the same.

They urged the administrative officers to visit the border region to see for themselves the problems the locals were facing.

They said most of their houses were damaged in the militancy and counter-militancy operations, displacing a majority of the people. They said the affected people were yet to be compensated.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2017