PAINDA CHEENA: The helicopter circles over the valley for at least three times before slowly perching itself on the helipad overlooking a lush green valley. The surrounding mountains are lush green and muddy stream lazily snakes in the lap of the valley.

From the mountainside helipad, a dirt road skirts around groves of wild olive trees to reach Painda Cheena village. Painda Cheena is a large village in the area dominated by the Zakhakhel Afridis in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber tribal district. At a distance, a green-clad peak separates Zakhakhel area from verdant vales of Tirah.

Apart from rustic beauty of the village, the other thing that catches a visitor’s eye is a huge sprawling building of Tirah Education Complex.

The W-shaped building with red corrugated iron roof stands distinct in its green background. The building with its outstretched arms seems as if it is waiting to embrace visitors and indeed since official opening earlier in May this year it is embracing a large number of children of these remote parts of war-torn region, where one variably thinks of Peshawar when it comes to education.

1,000 students including girls enrolled in the first high school of Painda Cheena

Spread over 40-kanals, donated by Zakhakhel clansmen, this is the first high school in the area. The construction of the sprawling complex was supervised by 1 Engineer Battalion ‘Yakta Sappers’ on a land donated by five tribal elders including Haji Khan Mohammad, Imam Akbar and Sehar Jan.

“The area population is about 23,000 and there was not a single good school here,” a security official told Dawn. He said that the school with 34 classrooms, library, laboratory and playground was a gift to the locals by Pakistan Army.

In the beginning, the school had a strength of 400 students that has now jumped up to 1,000. The students are pursuing their studies up to matric. There are 106 girls among the students, who have been assigned a separate portion to pursue their studies.

The official says that they are currently running this school and plan to transfer it to civilian authorities as the process of tribal areas’ merger with the province is gradually being unfolded.

Niaz Wali, the vice principal, termed the reaction of local people to opening of the school encouraging. “The locals are very happy about the fact that their children can get quality education under their parents watch,” he said. He added that prior to its opening, there was only a middle school in the area.

Just opposite the school main block, stands a monument with books placed on top of each other with a pen replica to the side. On its both sides, four black marble plaques carry the names of 126 soldiers from army units and local Levies, who lost their lives while fighting the scourge of terrorism in the nearby Tirah valley.

One can hope that students clad in blue uniform and rehearsing for Independence Day celebration can set their eyes on a peaceful future and brighter side of life.

MOHMAND: Safi tehsil of Mohmand tribal district sits close to the Pak-Afghan border and also close to Bajaur tribal district.

The craggy mountainsides look at large tracts of the parched expanse of the valley.

Mamad Gat, the headquarters of Safi tehsil, has got a 40-bed tehsil headquarters hospital from army. A team of army doctors was treating local patients at a free medical camp. “We have treated around 1,000 patients at the camp so far,” a doctor told the visiting group of reporters.

However, the merged districts also pose their own peculiar dilemma for the policymakers and Mamad Gat hospital is an apt example. As Peshawar being the veritable end of the earth for those living in Mamad Gat and its surrounding, a nearby hospital must be a respite for locals. But the hospital built and handed over to the local authorities about a year ago has yet to get regular staff.

Army doctors attached with units in the area come here to treat patients besides a few civilian doctors from other health facilities from different parts of Mohmand.

The recruitment process of over 67 staff for the hospital including 10 medical officers and four specialists is in slow lane and currently pending with the health department in Peshawar.

Dr Mohammad Ayub, acting medical superintendent of the facility, said that the new staff appointment was likely to take about a month or two.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2019