PESHAWAR: A student from South Waziristan has alleged irregularities and mismanagement in a skill training programme for students from the merged districts, and urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take notice of the matter.

Addressing a news conference here on Saturday, Habib Noor Wazir called on the provincial government to stop what he described as corruption in projects being implemented under the Accelerated Skills Development Programme (ASDP) for merged areas.

Mr Wazir alleged that the programme being conducted at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) had been assigned to an institution that lacked the equipment and facilities to provide practical training and technical skills to students.

According to him, the project had been awarded through recommendations rather than merit.

He further alleged that students who raised concerns about the absence of training equipment were threatened by trainers hired under the programme.

He claimed students were warned of legal consequences and even told that their national identity cards could be blocked if they refused to participate in examinations.

Mr Wazir also criticised the lack of accommodation for students during internships and demanded that funds allocated for the purpose be provided directly to students so they could manage their own living arrangements.

He urged authorities to blacklist institutions allegedly misleading students under the guise of training and skill development.

Mr Wazir said complaints had already been submitted to the relevant department, but no action had been taken.

He further alleged that inquiry committees formed to investigate complaints included individuals involved in irregularities.

He demanded that responsibility for the short skill courses be transferred from ASDP to the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, arguing that the organisation had previously delivered inter nationally recognised skill training programmes for students.

He warned that if their demands were not addressed by June 20, students would boycott the programme.

No immediate response from the provincial government or the institutions concerned was available.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026