MARDAN: Police here have registered FIRs against the owners and administrations of 180 more government and private schools for ignoring warnings and advisories to make proper security arrangements for their institutions.

According to a press release issued by DIG Mardan on Friday, the owners and administrations of the government and private educational institutions had been issued instructions for taking prompt measures to boost security arrangements in and around their schools soon after the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University, Charsadda.

It quoted the DIG Saeed Khan as saying that instructions regarding security arrangements were not followed and most of the schools’ owners and administrations across Mardan failed to make arrangements to avoid any possible militant attack on their institutions. He said that administrations of around 210 schools had also been warned to raised walls, install barbed wires and improve monitoring system around their educational institutions.

Action taken in Mardan, Kohat and other KP cities

He said that nine owners and managers of bus stations had also been booked for not ensuring security at the bus stations.

In Kohat, the police on Friday booked the heads of Nadra, railways and educational institutions under the 12 Security Act for ignoring security guidelines issued to them by the government last year.

Those against whom cases were registered under the relevant act are Father Arshad of Catholic Church, Nadra office head in Lachi tehsil, railway master, president of Balmik temple, vice-chancellor of Preston University, principal of Kohat Institute of Technical Education, principal of government primary school Banda Daud Shah, head of University Public School and College, head of Jinnah Public School and College, headmistress of Lincoln Public School, chief of Bacha Khan Foundation and some other schools.

The police also arrested at least 34 illegal Afghan nationals and 58 unregistered tenants of houses and FIRs were registered against them.

In Karak, the police registered FIRs against 21 educational institutions for not making adequate security arrangements.

According to a press release on Friday, FIRs have been registered against four educational institutions in Karak, two in Sabirabad, four in Latamber and others in Khurram and Teri areas.

In Nowshera, the police lodged FIRs against five schools for not making security arrangements. Private Education Network president Mohammad Saleem has, meanwhile, threatened to close down all private schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if police continued to tease the owners in the name of security.

In Charsadda, cases were registered against 18 private schools and the Nadra office for lack of security.

DPO Sohail Khan said that advisories were sent to 175 educational insinuations in the district to enhance security at their respective institutions, but some schools did not follow the instructions.

In Dera Ismail Khan, cases have been registered against 23 private and government schools for their failure to adopt appropriate security measures.

A police official said that during inspection it was found that several private and government schools lacked proper security, which led to registration of FIRs against the managements of 23 institutions in Gomal bazaar, Gulimam, Mulazai and city areas.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2016