KP students stay resolute in face of threats

FIRs lodged against 468 schools for inadequate security; cops increase patrolling

PESHAWAR: Threats and security concerns couldn’t deter even small children from going to school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which suffered two worst terror attacks on the educational institutions in the last 13 months. 

“All our class fellows come to school as per routine,” said Saad, a grade-2 student. He was on his way to school on a foggy morning along with his younger sister and brother.  The same is the case with millions of other kids in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and rest of Pakistan. Right from playgroup to universities, students are studying as per routine. 

The security of schools, colleges and universities all over the province, however, has been enhanced following the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on January 20.Participatory security arrangements mechanism has been adopted by the police along with the school management. 

Cases have been registered against the owners and principals of around 468 public and private sector educational institutions all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for inappropriate security arrangements.

The first information reports (FIRs) were registered against management of 156 schools in Peshawar, 128 in Mardan region, 5 in Kohat, 148 in Bannu and 31 in Hazara, an official at the Central Police Office (CPO) told The News. 

An official of the Peshawar Police, however said, the number of FIRs in the capital city had crossed 200 by Tuesday. Independent sources said that more than 680 FIRs were registered against the owners of educational institutions that included 23 colleges and a few universities.

In Peshawar, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Abbas Majeed Marwat visited a number of educational institutions to check the security arrangements.A number of institutions have been termed vulnerable due to inadequate security and FIRs were lodged against their management. 

“We are adopting participatory security measures along with the school management and the public to ensure proper security to educational institutions,” Abbas Majeed Marwat said.Another police official added that in case of repeated violations it had been decided to take up the matter with the Home and Education departments for closure of schools for not adopting sufficient security measures.

“In the wake of militants’ attack on Bacha Khan University, Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani has issued security guidelines for employing security staff, manning entry and exit points, establishing observation posts, raising and fencing walls and ensuring patrolling and vigilance inside and outside the premises,” said Mohammad Afzal, Superintendent of Police at the Central Police Office. 

He added that the IGP had directed the quarters concerned to ensure effective communication within the security staff, install SOS alert system, manage school entry system, constitute parents’ vigilance committees and organise drills and rehearsals. 

The district police officers (DPOs) have been instructed to convene meeting of all heads of all private and government schools and colleges and vulnerable educational institutions along with the representatives from the Education Department and District Administration to sensitise them about the vulnerability of their institutions and advise them to take appropriate security measures.

The police have been directed to ensure that heads of all the institutions constitute a committee of sufficient number of parents, not less than 10, to pay surprise visits to the institutions to review the security arrangements. 

A number of regional police officers and DPOs have already started the process of checking the security arrangements of the educational institutions. The security audit reports are being prepared and FIRs registered against the heads of institutions for inadequate security.

Many parents are concerned after the fresh threats to the educational institutions and extraordinary security measures are being taken by the police.

A number of educational institutions have protested against the registration of the FIRs, but the police have made it clear that they would even make arrests if the management didn’t improve security.