MANSEHRA: Adviser to the chief minister on culture and tourism Zafar Mehmood on Monday said women teachers would be posted to schools in their hometowns.

“During a recent meeting, I informed the chief minister that many women school teachers are distressed about working in districts other than their own. He understood the issue and promised the early issuance of an order to post women teachers to their hometowns,” Mr Mehmood told a group of such teachers at the Circuit House here.

The visitors, who belonged to Torghar, Kohistan and Mansehra districts, told the CM’s aide that the education department had posted scores of women teachers from Mansehra district to Torghar and Kohistan districts for decades.

Mr Mehmood said the caretaker government was trying to identify and cancel teacher postings and transfers on a political basis.

CM aide says all political appointments to schools to be cancelled

He said teachers struggled to deliver the goods for being subjected to “political victimisation.”

The CM’s adviser later told reporters that authorities had taken the encroachment issue in Mansehra district seriously and were ensuring effective steps to address it.

“I will meet officials of the district and tehsil administrations, National Highway Authority and other relevant departments soon to finalise anti-encroachment drives for Mansehra, Balakot and Oghi tehsils,” he said.

CONTESTS: Girls on Monday clinched the top first and second positions in the 8th Khyber Pakhtunkhwa- Punjab Naat Competitions held here for visually-impaired children.

A total of 16 boys and girls from Punjab and KP participated in the event organised by NGO Right to Live.

Syeda Madiha Naseer from Abbottabad (KP) stood first and Saba Pervez and Mohammad Ramazan, both from Sargodha (Punjab), second and third, respectively.

Deputy commissioner Bilal Shahid Rao gave away cash prizes and shields to them and other participants and said he was impressed by their excellent ability to recite naat.

He said the administration was striving to protect the rights of people with disabilities.

Chairmen of NGO Right to Live Mohammad Bilal, who was a physically challenged person, said the government should fix two per cent quota in jobs of both public and private sectors.

KILLED: Gunmen killed a woman here on Monday.

The woman, who was stated to be the mother of five children, was attacked by a group of armed men at her house in Pando Dehri area.

The locals rushed the injured to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.

The police registered an FIR and started an investigation to ascertain the cause of murder. Also, search for the accused was also launched.

Meanwhile, a teenager was killed by stabbing in Sherpur area with a dagger.

The police quoted Azizur Rehman as saying that Mohammad Yasir was stabbed by Anwar Zeb before fleeing.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2023