Students demand restoration of cellular internet service in merged districts

LANDIOTAL: Students unions on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration outside Landikotal Press Club and demanded the restoration of cellular internet service in the merged tribal districts.

A large number of students from Landikotal Postgraduate College, Islamia College University and University of Peshawar marched in Landikotal bazaar and chanted slogans against the suspension of cellular internet services in the tribal districts. They were holding banners inscribed with slogans of rejecting online classes and restoration of internet facility in the erstwhile Fata areas.

Speaking on the occasion, Khyber Students Union president from Peshawar University Abudarda Shinwari said that unless internet is not restored in the merged districts, they cannot take online classes.

He said it was against human rights to deny anyone to access to the basic facility. Vice president of the union Haris Shinwari said the government had suspended cellular internet service in June 2016 in the tribal districts.

He said everyone under the universal declaration of human rights and Constitution of Pakistan had the right to freedom of expression.

He said that due to unavailability of cellular internet facility, the future of thousands of tribal students was at risk as they have no access to take online classes in the merged districts.

Transporters stage protest: Truckers blocked Peshawar-Torkham highway at Sultankhel for some time to record their protest against strict rules imposed on them to cross the Torkham borer.

They said dozens of their trucks were damaged in the traffic accidents in Afghanistan as they were not allowed to cross into Afghanistan while untrained drivers in the neighbouring country drove their vehicles and they often damaged them. They also demanded the government to take quick steps and bring back hundreds of their trucks stranded in Afghanistan for the last several months.