MARDAN: A man along with a son was killed, and another son was injured over a land dispute in Suwaryaan area, police officials and residents said here on Tuesday.

The deceased were identified as Sarbiland, 60, his son Adil, 37, and the injured as Bakhtbiland, 21.

Toru police station officials quoted the injured as saying that they were busy cultivating tobacco in their agricultural fields when their rivals came there on bikes and exchanged hot words with them over a land dispute.

Afterwards, he said their rivals opened indiscriminate fire, killing his father and a brother on the spot, while he himself was critically injured in the firing.

The police registered an FIR against the alleged killers, identified as Qudratullah and his sons, Asif, Kashif and Sufaid.

MOU SIGNED: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mardan, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) to facilitate and streamline document verification process for students and candidates.

Relevant officials told Dawn on Tuesday that the step would eliminate the need for students to bring physical verifications in sealed envelopes from BISE Mardan to IBCC for attestation.

They said under the initiative, students applying for verification at BISE Mardan would have their data directly accessible to IBCC once verified by the board. This will enable students to apply for IBCC attestation online via the IBCC attestation portal, ensuring a seamless and efficient process.

The MoU was formally signed by Mardan board chairman Prof Jehanzeb and Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah, executive director IBCC Islamabad.

Prof Zeb welcomed the initiative, stating, “This partnership will modernise our verification system, allowing students to save time and effort while ensuring the authenticity of their academic records. “It is a significant step toward enhancing service delivery in the education sector.”

Dr Mallah emphasised IBCC’s vision of leveraging technology to facilitate students. “Our goal is to digitise and simplify document verification and attestation processes, ensuring transparency and efficiency. By eliminating logistical hurdles, we are making these services more accessible, particularly for students in remote areas.”

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025