Seats in medical colleges sought for Waziristan students

PESHAWAR: The students from South Waziristan on Thursday urged the provincial government to allocate the 42 seats reserved for them in the medical colleges and warned of staging a protest at the KP Assembly Chowk if their demands were not met.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, student leaders, including Muhammad Zubair, Azmatullah Khan, Asad Wazir and others, expressed concern over the non-allocation of seats.

They explained that after the merger of the tribal areas (Fata) in 2018, the quota for medical seats was doubled, with each district entitled to 42 seats.In 2022, South Waziristan was divided into two separate districts, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, yet the seats continue to be allocated according to the old system.

Despite orders from the Peshawar High Court, the provincial government has not provided the promised 42 medical seats to South Waziristan students.This year, 149 seats were added to medical colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but none were allocated to students from South Waziristan.As a result, many students from the region are being deprived of opportunities to pursue medical education.