MANSEHRA: The federal government has approved the establishment of the country’s first ever girls’ scout cadet college in Arigah area of Darband tehsil here.

According to local MNA and a federal parliamentary secretary Mohammad Sajjad Awan, work on the college’s building will begin shortly.

He told reporters here on Sunday that the premises would initially serve as a campus of the Pakistan Scout Cadet College Batrasi (Mansehra) and would be granted the status of a full-fledged scout college afterwards.

Mr Awan said the prime minister had approved the project at his request and directed authorities to fulfil formalities for the early start of work.

He said the PML-N-led federal government was committed to furthering the cause of education, especially the girls’, to provide womenfolk with opportunities for own development just like men.

Local MNA says PM okayed project, work to begin shortly

The MNA, who is the elder brother of retired captain Mohammad Safdar Awan, the son-in-law of PML-N supremo, said the people’s empowerment, especially women’s, was imperative for the country’s development.

He also said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its allies dissolved the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, by-elections would be held on vacant seats with the Pakistan Democratic Movement, which ruled the centre, contesting them together.

Mr Awan said the federal government was striving for the country’s economic revival and the supremacy of the Constitution and won’t allow vested interests to block those efforts.

Meanwhile, the Tehreek-i-Gujjar Qaumi Ittehad demanded the inclusion of the Gujjari language in curriculum and official data forms.

Its president Qari Mohammad Rafique told reporters in Oghi tehsil that the Gujjari language was one of the oldest languages being spoken in Hazara division, so it should be made part of school courses and population census and Nadra data forms.

He warned that if the demand wasn’t met, the residents would stage street protests.

By Our Correspondent

KILLED: A man was killed and another critically injured as a mini-truck plunged into a deep ravine in Sathangali area here on Sunday.

The accident occurred as the driver lost control of the vehicle carrying a cell tower and telecom equipment from Battle to Sathangali.

The residents shifted the injured driver and his helper to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared one of them dead and referred the other to the Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad, due to critical condition.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2022