Heads announce to close educational institutions from today

PARACHINAR: The heads of educational institutions on Thursday announced to close down their schools and colleges for an indefinite period owing to insecurity and violence and protest the indifferent attitude of the government towards the issue of unrest in the volatile Kurram tribal district.

“Routine life in Kurram district has come to a grinding halt due to the 70-day closure of main and link roads that has paralysed the daily activities of businesses and education,” they said while announcing the closure of educational institutions from today during a press conference here.

The heads of educational institutions, including Marjan Ali, Zahid Hussain, Mahir Hassan, Abid Hussain, Wajid Hussain and Murtaza Hussain said that the government had failed to provide security to the people.

They said that lack of access to food, medical treatment, and shortage of fuel had caused immense hardships to them, and that they had decided to keep educational institutions closed indefinitely in protest.

They demanded that roads should be reopened and made safe for travel. They also condemned the statements of Advisor to Chief Minister Ihtisham Ali and Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif about the deaths of children and road closures in Parachinar.

Meanwhile, social activist Mir Afzal Khan along with members of the Pak Youth Movement at a press conference said that the alarming situation in hospitals and pharmacies, where medicines had run out, was leading to the deaths of children.

He criticised the authorities for issuing baseless statements instead of addressing the crisis.They announced that protest sit-ins would be initiated if the issue was not resolved promptly.

Main and some link roads in Kurram district have been closed for 70 days following incidents of firing on vehicles of a convoy and clashes. Food supplies, daily essentials, and gas have run out in this chilling cold weather, causing severe difficulties to the people.

The lack of medicines and facilities in hospitals has led to a sharp rise in deaths.According to information, 54 people, including 29 children, have died due to lack of treatment facilities and medicines.Markets, shops, medicine stores, hotels and even bread-bakers in Parachinar, the district headquarters of Kurram, remained closed that have multiplied miseries of the people.