MANSEHRA: A cleric here on Saturday said honour killings were against the teachings of Islam, so the people of Kohistan should abandon the centuries-old practice.

“In our society, men and women are murdered in the name of so-called honour. Such killings have no basis in Islamic injunctions, and we condemn these incidents,” Kohistani religious scholar Maulana Sakhi Dad told reporters on Saturday.

In 2013, a video surfaced allegedly showing women clapping for a man dancing at a wedding in Kohistan (now Kolai-Palas). The incident and the reported killing of four women linked to it, received widespread media coverage and sparked public outrage.

Maulana Sakhi said men and women could interact in line with the limits prescribed by Islam and that there was no justification for taking a life on the pretext of honour.

He also complained that the victims of honour killings were buried without funeral prayers against the teachings of Islam.

IRREGULARITIES: The education department’s Class-IV Employees Association has alleged irregularities in the appointment of more than 256 Class-IV employees in the district.

“These appointments have been made after a delay of more than nine years in violation of the prescribed rules and criteria. Undeserving candidates, recommended by the provincial lawmakers for appointment to their respective constituencies, have been appointed to Class-IV posts in boys’ schools across our district,” president of the association Adil Ghani told reporters the other day.

He insisted that the candidates whose families had donated land for government schools, too, were denied appointments in violation of the provincial service rules.

The association leader said the district education officer didn’t even comply with the Peshawar High Court’s stay order regarding the appointments of Class-IV employees.

He also alleged that the court’s orders regarding the quota of the employees’ sons and the deceased employees’ quota had been ignored as not a single candidate, eligible under those categories, had been appointed.

“The widows and orphaned children of deceased employees, who have been struggling to earn a livelihood after the loss of their family breadwinners, have been denied their legal rights,” he said.

The association leader urged the chief secretary to take notice of the matter.

When contacted, district education officer Mahroof Khan, who has been suspended for 120 days over alleged negligence in connection with the Summer Learning and Growing Festival, 2026, the other day, said he was currently on leave.

“My suspension followed a report submitted by assistant commissioner of Balakot Hasrat Khan to the education department. However, the appointment of Class-IV employees has nothing to do with my suspension, as I strictly followed the rules and criteria prescribed by the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, the district administration on Saturday launched an operation to demolish houses and structures built by foreign nationals residing illegally and sealed dozens of shops during a crackdown following the expiry of the federal government’s deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country voluntarily.

“We have pulled down all structures built by undocumented foreign nationals in Barari and adjoining localities, as well as in other parts of the district,” tehsildar Mohammad Bashir told reporters.

The teams also arrested several foreign nationals who, according to officials, were still living in the demolished structures and rented houses.

“This operation will continue until all such illegally constructed structures are removed, as the government’s July 10 deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country voluntarily has expired,” Mr Bashir said.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026