Students and teachers protest attacks on schools in Landikotal

LANDIKOTAL: Hundreds of students along with teachers of private schools and workers of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement on Wednesday staged a protest against the acts of terrorism targeting schools in Landikotal.

The Private Schools Association Landikotal led the protest held at Charwazgay Chowk on the Pak-Afghan Highway.The students, teachers and owners of private schools were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans calling for peace in Landikotal.

Speaking on the occasion, Abdur Raziq Shinwari, Rehman Ali Shinwari, Iqbal Khan Afridi and Bahadur Khan Shinwari asked the government to take steps to stop the attacks on schools in Landikotal.

The protesters that they would be compelled to block the Pak-Afghan Highway at Landikotal if the attacks did not stop. The school owners said they would not allow a single truck to proceed towards the Torkham border.

Abdur Raziq Shinwari said tribal people had rendered sacrifices for the independence of Pakistan. He said they had also fought for the liberation of Kashmir in 1948. He said they would be forced to take classes on the main Pak-Afghan Highway in Landikotal if any school was targeted in the future.

The speakers asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to take notice of the growing militancy in tribal areas and take corrective steps to stop the attacks on schools.

It may be recalled that a private school and the house of an educationist were targeted with explosions over the last two weeks. This raised concern among the owners and teachers of private schools.

Meanwhile, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) also staged a protest demonstration against the rising acts of subversion in Landikotal.Several PTM workers headed by Aftab Shinwari asked the government to take steps to stop acts of sabotage.