MANSEHRA: Residents of Gohar-Akazai in Kunder Hassanzai tehsil of Torghar on Friday demanded of the government to rebuild the local primary school, as children were being forced to study in a highly dilapidated building.

“We have issues relating to education, health, communication and other facilities, but our children have been studying in a highly dilapidated building that could lead to a tragic mishap if not rebuilt,” a resident told participants at an open forum organised by the district administration in Gohar-Akazai.

People from different walks of life attended the forum and raised issues faced by them.

They said that Torghar was given the status of a settled district in 2011, but residents were still without adequate healthcare facilities, government primary schools for girls, roads and potable water.

“We are still living in the Stone Age sans amenities and civic services and most of the local children are deprived of education,” one of the participants said.

Speaking on the occasion, Assistant Commissioner Kunder Hassanzai Jamil Hussain Shah said that the government wanted to address the issues faced by the residents and that he had come there to hear their concerns.

“I will take up all the issues raised regarding education, health and other facilities with the relevant departments’ high-ups and address them on a priority basis,” he said.

Meanwhile, work on the Darband-Thakot Road, which connects Mansehra, Torghar and Battagram districts, was progressing well.

“This communication project, which will connect Torghar with the Hazara Expressway and the Karakoram Highway, will bring socioeconomic change to the lives of local people,” Additional Deputy Commissioner Torghar Ziaur Rehman told residents after inspecting the road’s construction work.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2026