KOHAT: Scores of protesters from the opposition PPP and PML-N and six independent members of the district council on Friday staged a demonstration in front of the deputy commissioner’s office against the sealing of the district nazim’s office.

They blocked the road for three hours, and dispersed after taking assurance from the district administration to reinstate official protocol of the district nazim.

District nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad criticised the action of locking his office by the assistant commissioner even after his repeated statements that some leaders of the JUI-F and PTI got resignation from him forcibly.

He said that the deputy commissioner should have heard him instead of only acting on the orders from the Chief Minister’s House. He said that he had filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court in this regard, adding the official sealed his office without consulting the assistant director local government, who is the secretary to the district council for legal opinion.

Nazim claims some JUI-F and PTI leaders ‘forced him to resign’

When contacted, deputy commissioner Akmal Khattak said that under the law the district nazim no more held the office. According to the law, in case a nazim submits his resignation to the chief executive of the province it should be deemed as accepted forthwith, he said.

The nazim has filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court through his counsel, who has pleaded that as the resignation has been taken by force from his client, the chief minister should be restrained from accepting it.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, JUI-F secretary general Haji Jameel said that Maulana Niaz had tendered his resignation in the presence of the MPs, councillors and district leadership of JUI-F and as such he was no more the district nazim.

UNIFORM EDUCATION: The representatives of private schools of Kohat have demanded uniform education system in both the public and private schools and amendments to the education code.

The demand was made by a delegation comprising representatives of private schools and colleges in Kohat division during a meeting with Elementary and Secondary Education secretary Qaiser Alam. The delegation included representatives of all private education associations of Fata, Kohat, Hangu and Karak and it was led by Private Education Association, Kohat, president Rab Nawaz.

According to a statement issued here, the meeting discussed the regulatory authority bill, issuance of show cause notices to the owners of schools in Kohat by the board, amendments to the 1953 education code, representation of private schools in the National Education Council and uniform education system in both the public and private schools.

Secretary Alam assured the private school owners that he would take up their demands with the relevant authorities for their early solution.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2017