Tag: Khyber Pakhtun­khwa

  • Military takes control over two government colleges in Lakki Marwat

    Military takes control over two government colleges in Lakki Marwat

    A letter written by the principal of a public college in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district to the Higher Education Department is doing rounds on social media. In the letter, the principal states that the Pakistan Army is taking control of the college building, and forcing the administration to halt all academic activities. He also states that the army had initially taken control over some part of the building and was now taking it over.

    Geo Fact Check has confirmed that the letter and the story is true after it spoke with three officials, including the principals of the colleges.
    The story first came up when an X user posted on his account, “Building security force bases in educational institutions is equivalent to ending education?”

    The user also posted a supposed letter written by the principal of the Government Degree College Ghazni Khel in Lakki Marwat to the director of the Higher Education Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, urging the director to take notice of the army “occupying the whole college building” without permission.

    He urged in his letter that, “Lakki Marwat’s Ghazni Khel Degree College students should not be removed from studies. Security forces should find an alternative place.”

    The ‘letter’

    Geo reveals that the letter dated November 21 was written by the principal of the Government Degree College Ghazni Khel in Lakki Marwat to the Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Peshawar to bring attention to the fact that Pakistan army had for the last year “occupied” half of the college’s building.

    It also stated that the army had “occupied the whole college building” without prior permission from higher education officials.
    The letter further added that the academic session was in full swing and in “such an ambiguous situation the college administration was compelled to stop the academic sessions due to lack of classroom accommodations”.

    Accounts of witnesses

    Akram Khan, the principal of the Government Degree College Ghazni Khel, told Geo Fact Check over the phone that he had indeed sent a report to the “higher-ups” on November 21.

    “There was a movement of [military’s units] in the area,” Khan said, “So they [the military] told us to shut down the college for a week or so.”

    The principal further explained that the army already had control over half of the college building since last year, while educational activities had continued in the other half. But then this month, the entire college had to be shut down when the control was further extended, he said, adding that the campus of the Government Degree College stretches over 250 canals.

    Khan also said that after a recent round of negotiations with the military, the military agreed to provide the students “some space”.

    Fareedullah Shah, a director at the Higher Education Department in Peshawar, said that in “emergency situations” government buildings had to be assigned to the military.

    “I am not very happy about this [situation] but when they [military] need [a government structure]… listen you cannot call such a thing an ‘occupation’, this is an internal government matter,” he said.

    He added that the Higher Education Department is trying to accommodate the students and the teaching staff by providing an alternative space to continue their studies.

    “This is our army, not a foreign army,” Shah added, refusing to go into detail about how long the building had been in control of the military or how long it planned to stay there.

    Separately, Yasir Nazir, the assistant commissioner in Lakki Marwat, told Geo Fact Check the military “needed” the college building, further confirming that the students of the college had also recently protested against the military presence on their campus.

    Meanwhile, another public college, the Government Post Graduate College, also in Lakki Marwat, was facing a similar incident, where the military had taken control of part of the college premises after which students had voiced their concerns.

    Saleem Khan, the principal of Government Post Graduate College, confirmed the news, adding that the issue had now been resolved with the military without explaining any further.

  • Father of girl killed on Jirga orders arrested by police

    Father of girl killed on Jirga orders arrested by police

    Update: The father of the girl who was killed at the hands of brothers and father on the order of Jirga is arrested by the police. However, the picture came out to be edited in the initial report released by the police. Pictures of two girls went viral through the Facebook ID of Aman Deedar where the girls were photoshopped with Aman Deedar and Rehmat Shah, the two boys who are now hiding.

    Moreover, the other girl was allowed to go back with her parents on a guarantee of 30 lac rupees by the local Palas court.

    A girl from Kolai Palas, Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa got killed on orders of a local Jirga after her pictures with boys went viral. The pictures of two girls posing with boys went viral on social media after which family members in the jirga decided to kill her, says the police.

    The other girl was brought to the court to ensure her safety where she stated before the judge that she does not have any threat from her family. Therefore, she was allowed to go back. Meanwhile, the boys seen in the photos are still in hiding, fearing possible outrage. Local police told Dawn that as per tradition, the jirga declared that those who appeared in the images circulating on social media ‘chor’ (thieves) and issued a decree for their killing.

    Deputy Superintendant Police (DSP) Masood Khan said the victim’s body had been moved from the crime scene to a nearby health facility for autopsy. He added that videos and photos, which were apparently edited, went viral on social media three to four days ago. An FIR has been registered on the complaint of local SHO as the victim’s family did not approach the police. The culprits who issued the assassination decree and those who executed it will be brought to justice, the police official said.

    Sections 109 (abetment in crime), 302 (punishment of qatl-i-amd or premeditated murder) and 311 (punishment after the waiver of qisas) of the Pakistan Penal Code have been added in the FIR.

    A similar incident had been reported a decade ago where five women cheering for a dancing boy in the video were allegedly killed, along with the boy’s four brothers, on the orders of a local jirga. The alleged killings captured international attention, and then-Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the incident.

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: MDCAT retest paper goes viral

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: MDCAT retest paper goes viral

    The second retake of the MDCAT exam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has gone viral despite secrecy measures, raising concerns among students. The test was conducted on Sunday across the province in 11 examination centres. More than 40,000 students appeared in the exam.

    The test was conducted by Khyber Medical University (KMU) after the Bluetooth Scandal in the previous attempt conducted by the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA). Neither the students nor the security and administrative staff was allowed to take phones inside the examination centres. Section 144 was imposed with signal jammers installed around the examination centres along with the deployment of 2000 security personnel in the province. Despite all of this, the paper went viral.

    A Twitter user also appreciated the security.

    However, Vice Chancellor KMU Doctor Zia ul Haq told Geo that the paper leaked post-exam, not during the exam. He stressed that the document is public property after the exam. A picture captured with the backdrop of a bedsheet also hints towards the conduction of the exam being transparent.

  • MDCAT saga: Alleged test leak in Sindh, retesting in KP

    MDCAT saga: Alleged test leak in Sindh, retesting in KP

    Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2023 has been embroiled in major controversy involving cheating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh. The test is mandatory for admission in disciplines of medicine and dentistry.

    Sindh

    A retest was conducted on Sunday, November 19, across four centres in Sindh as the previous one was cancelled due to overwhelming complaints of cheating. Almost 41,000 students appeared for a total of 4,790 seats — 3,600 for MBBS and 1,190 for dental studies. As per the reports, answer sheets are circulating on social media, fueling speculation that the exam paper was leaked.

    This raised questions over the feasibility of leaking the entire paper through social media, given the ban on phones and smart watches at test centres. Additionally, students have expressed dissatisfaction with the test’s content, citing questions beyond the prescribed syllabus and errors in the answer keys, reports The News.

    In a recent statement, President PMDC Dr Rizwan Taj has acknowledged social media reports alleging the leak of MDCAT paper conducted under the supervision of DOW University of Health Sciences (DUHS). He asserted that both the managing authorities-DUHS vice-chancellor and Sindh Chief Secretary-have denied the allegations, saying the news is not correct and question papers were released by students post-test at 4pm as the test had ended at 2pm.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    After the cancellation of the September 10 test in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the exam is to be reconducted on November 26. A plan has been devised according to which police will be deployed to provide security to the staff involved in in transportation of test material to all centres in the designated cities, including Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Mardan, Dir Lower, Swat and Abbottabad. A total of 46,220 candidates will appear in test.
    To ensure transparency police will be also be involved during printing, packaging, transportation and scanning of examination material inside and outside Khyber Medical University Peshawar from 20 November to 30.

    Section 144 will be imposed around the centres, mobile phone will remain jammed, power supply will remain uninterrupted from 9am to 3pm on date of test are also part of the plan, says the report by Dawn.

  • Another exam, more cases of cheating

    Another exam, more cases of cheating

    After cases of cheating during MDCAT examination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in September, the Public Service Commission examination has also been infiltrated with cheating.

    According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission, a test was held on June 24 for the recruitment of SDO in the Irrigation Department and CNW, during which 18 candidates were caught cheating.

    KP Public Service Commission officials also revealed that electronic devices, guides and other copy materials were recovered from the candidates during the examination.

    Examinations were cancelled and they have been banned from appearing for a period of one year to three years.

    The commission has issued a public notice for re-examination and the relevant test will be held again on December 23.

  • KP government launches first Mental Health institute

    KP government launches first Mental Health institute

    The caretaker setup in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by Chief Minister Azam Khan inaugurated the first-ever Institute of Mental Health Sciences in the provincial capital Peshawar on Thursday.

    The landmark project has incurred a total cost of Rs2.52 billion. The larger plan includes an emergency unit, OPD, ICU, a psychiatric unit, family counseling, and a rehabilitation centre among other facilities. It will start with providing OPD services and will move on to add other services in later stages.

    In the inaugural ceremony, the Chief Minister spoke about the facilities offered by the institute and the courses on various areas concerning mental health offered there. He emphasised the growing need for understanding and treating mental illnesses that are rampant globally and the opening of one of its kind institute is a step in the right direction. He promised that the state-of-the-art institute will provide facilities for the treatment of mental illnesses and all services related to mental health.

  • Kurram Agency’s sectarian clashes leave 50 dead before peace-deal

    Kurram Agency’s sectarian clashes leave 50 dead before peace-deal

    The six-day long sectarian clashes in Kurram have ended with a peace deal mediated by local jirgas. According to The Nation the armed fight took the lives of of 50 people.

    Kurram Agency is traditionally a volatile region. This round marks the third major violent eruption of the year, causing a major blackout of electricity and internet, traffic of the roads, schools and other institutions being closed.

    The two warring groups are based in Khar Kalay Village and the Baleech Khel. 

    Firing from both sides continued since the last week, resulting in extreme unrest and scarcity of basic necessities from food to the medicines. The local administration has called for the military intervention and the elders of the two group were trying to bring an end the violence. 

    The agreement was made in the backdrop of the attacks on vehicles in Charkhel between the leaders of the two main sects after different rounds of talks in Alizai Qila under the supervision of district administration and local scouts. 

    It has been agreed upon by the two sides to maintain peace and abandanoing the use of weaponary and bunkers.

  • Bannu professor forced to apologise publicly for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Bannu professor forced to apologise publicly for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Professor Sher Ali from Bannu was forced to apologize publicly by signing an affidavit for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and organizing a seminar on women’s rights in Islam.

    A tweet from X user Khurram Zakir has brought the tragic state of intolerance to the spotlight.

    The dispute started with Professor Sher Ali organizing a seminar on the topic of Women’s Rights in Islam and the Constitution. It was arranged in response to the growing public displeasure against women leaving their homes without adhering to the Islamic dress code. The professor triggered religious circles who accused him of deviating from the teachings of Islam.

    Although Darwin’s Evolution theory is part of the curriculum set by the board of education, the professor had to bear the brunt of fulfilling his duty and teaching about it. The incident has raised concerns about the inconducive space for rational discourse even in an academic setting.

  • Mardan the model city, free of load-shedding

    Mardan the model city, free of load-shedding

    The crackdown on electricity theft that started more than a month ago has yielded great results. Almost Rs26 billion have been recovered and in the next 12 months, this amount is expected to reach a total of Rs300 billion, officials have stated. 

    In an attempt to incentivise the public for their cooperation, Mardan has been declared a model city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Talking at a ceremony, Secretary Power Sector, Rashid Langrial, categorically stated that the ones who will pay the bill will get electricity. He further announced that 17 feeders of the city have become free of load shedding because it has managed to evade all kinds of electricity theft in a matter of time.  

    He goes on to elaborate that the thievery cannot be carried out without the involvement of the employees of power-sector, therefore, many of them have been arrested. He encouraged people to lodge a complaint about any such incident. 

    He warned other Government departments about clearing their remaining electricity dues which will otherwise be deducted  from their budget in the coming year.

  • Peshawar students to campaign against use of drugs in educational institutions

    Peshawar students to campaign against use of drugs in educational institutions

    The students of the University of Agriculture in Peshawar have decided on starting a mission to prevent use of drugs in educational institutions.

    According to reports, the administration has become active to protect the students of the University of Agriculture from drugs. The Anti-Drug Awareness Committee held a meeting at the campus.

    According to experts present at the meeting, drugs give temporary relief by increasing hormones, but later they cause permanent destruction; adding that the addict becomes a burden on his family and society.

    The students have decided to join hands with the government and social organisations to play an active role in the anti-drug campaign.

    According to the report of a non-governmental organisation, 7.6 million people use drugs in Pakistan, including 78% men and 22% women.