Teachers warn of launching agitation

MANSEHRA: Provincial president of All Primary Teachers Association Azizullah Khan has threatened to launch an agitation if the government doesn’t accept the charter of demands.

“We are optimistic that the government will accept our demands including the upgrading of the basic pay scales and timescale. And if it deviates from its commitments, we will launch a protest movement,” said Azizullah Khan. He was speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of office-bearers of district chapter of All Primary Teachers Association in Chaterplain on Sunday.

Azizullah Khan said the teachers of primary schools were demanding upgrading of their basic pay scale from 7 to 12 and government should incorporate it in their service structure. He said that children of over 80 percent primary teachers were getting education at the government schools.

Drive against timber smugglers: The Siran Forest Division would arrest over 134 alleged smugglers of green gold in order to curb deforestation in the district, an official said on Sunday.

“We have received arrest warrants for as many as 134 timber smugglers from deputy commissioner Mansehra. They would be arrested soon,” Siddique Khan, the divisional forest officer Siran Forest Division, told reporters here. Siddique Khan, who led a crackdown against illegal saw-machines and furniture factories in Mundachucha and parts of Siran valley, sealed dozens of saw-machines and furniture factories and seized a large quantity of high quality deodar and pine timber. “We have seized a large quantity of timber from wooden factories and saw-machines running illegally near thick forest in Siran valley,” he added.

He said that the Forest Department team not only seized timber but also booked dozen of timber smugglers including a Tehsil Councillor Khalid Quraishi.

“We are going to arrest timber smugglers under 3 maintenance of public order,” the official said. He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government wanted to bring to an end the timber smuggling in the province and on-going crackdown was part of that policy.