KHAR: The local leaders of PTI here on Sunday expressed dismay over delay in establishment of two degree colleges in Bajaur Agency.

They threatened to launch a protest movement if work on the colleges was not initiated till March 30. They said that the colleges were approved more than three years ago.

Addressing a news conference, PTI leader Mohammad Saleem said that the then governor Sardar Mahtab Ahamd Khan had approved establishment of the colleges in December 2014 but work on the educational institutions had yet to begin. He said that one degree college was approved for Salarzai and the other for Barang tehsil.

Flanked by other local leaders and workers of PTI, he said that people of Salarzai and Barang areas had attached great expectations with those colleges but unnecessary delay in construction of the educational institutions shattered their dreams.

The PTI leader termed delay in construction of the colleges a conspiracy against the students of the backward areas of the region.

“The delay means to deprive the students of remote areas of their right of education,” he added.

He alleged that officials of Fata Secretariat and local administration were delaying construction of the colleges to serve personal interests.

He appealed to the president, prime minister and KP governor to take serious notice of the delay in construction of colleges in the agency and order the relevant officials to launch work on the projects without further delay.

Later, the PTI workers staged a demonstration at Khar Bazaar against delay in establishment of the colleges.

Besides party workers, a large number of people from different walks of life attended the protest.

HURT: A woman was wounded when an unidentified man fired at the house of a local tribesman in Khar.

Officials said that a masked man opened fire at the house of Gul Zada on Saturday night at Eidgah Street that resulted in injuries to the wife of the local tribesman.

The wounded woman was shifted to the agency headquarters hospital from where she was referred to Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2018