GILGIT: One week after it was burnt, the Deral Girls Middle School in Diamer district was rebuilt and reopened for students on Tuesday.

A ceremony, held in the school to mark its reopening, was attended by GB assembly members Surriya Mohammad Zaman and Dilshad Bano, Diamer Commissioner Dildar Malik, Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Ahmed, teachers, students, parents and locals.

Addressing the ceremony, Ms Zaman and Ms Bano said the girls of Diamer are dedicated to get education and anti-Pakistan elements were targeting educational institutions to keep the next generation away from education.

They added that with the reconstruction of the school within a week, the nefarious designs of such elements have been thwarted.

Deputy commissioner says enrollment has increased after fire

They also announced the construction of more girl’s schools in Diamer and urged the locals to educate their girls.

Addressing the occasion, DC Ahmed said the reconstruction was completed within a record period of five days in line with the directives of GB chief minister and chief secretary.

The school has all the facilities including an IT lab, library, conference hall, washrooms, grounds and garden, he added.

DC Ahmed said the enrollment has gone up from 68 to 88 and the school presents a picture of a model school. “This is a strong message to all that education is our priority.”

In a statement, GB Chief Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani said there are more girls today than there were before the fire and this has given a clear message to the miscreants who torched the school.

“We will seek knowledge and not back down from our fundamental right of education,” he added.

The school is equipped with a computer lab and a library and the students are more than thrilled to restart their studies, Mr Wani said.

The school was set on fire in the early hours of November 9, allegedly by three unknown miscreants, according to the FIR. The blaze left the furniture completely burnt and part of the school’s corrugated metal roof also collapsed as a result.

An FIR of the incident was filed under Sections 6 (terrorist act) and 7 (punishment for a terrorist act) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, besides Pakistan Penal Code’s Sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a house, etc.).

However, immediately after the incidents, the GB government, with the help of locals, started repairing the building.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2022