No high school for girls in Lower Kohistan, KP Assembly told

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was on Thursday told that there was no high school for girls in Lower Kohistan where 28 female students had reached high level in the entire district.

In response to a question moved by MPA Sajjadullah from PK-32 Lower Kohistan, the Primary and Elementary Education Department informed that there should be at least 25 students for upgrading a middle school to a high level and there are about 28 girl students in the entire district who had reached high school level.

The department said that the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -led government had approved the construction and upgrading of high schools for Kohistan district and the present government would upgrade many middle school to high-level in the current Annual Development Programme (ADP).As Minister for Primary and Elementary Schools, Faisal Tarakai was not present in the House, therefore the questions related to his department were deferred to next day.

In response to another question by the opposition MPA Sajjadullah from Lower Kohistan, the assembly was informed that there were a total 215 schools for girls and boys in the PK-32 constituency where there were two Maktab schools, 175 primary schools, 23 middle schools, 12 high schools for boys and three higher secondary schools while about 17537 students were enrolled in these schools.

The PTI MPA from South Waziristan Asif Khan in his call attention notice said that the

victims of landmines in his constituency in South Waziristan had not been provided compensation amount and other relief while the affected and displaced people from their hometowns in the district during 2007 had also not received compensation from the government.

He demanded the formation of the special committee and the Anti-Terrorism Cell (ATC) and suggested that the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) should resolve the pending cases at the earliest.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Aftab Alam Advocate told the House that about 400,000 families in South, North Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai districts had been affected due to military operations. He said the Relief Department handled these issues.

On the insistence of the mover, the call attention notice was referred to the standing committee of the House for further discussion and investigation.The assembly also passed a resolution, recommending either an increase in the salaries of police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or the salaries and incentives of police in KP should be brought on a par with salaries and incentives in vogue in the Punjab and federal capital. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl MPA had tabled the resolution.

The lawmakers asked for strict action against unhygienic food and adulterated milk in the province, asking the Food and other relevant departments to ensure the sale and supply of hygienic, pure and fresh food and milk in the markets and bazaars.