Daily Times

KHYBER: A literary session was held on Wednesday in memory of the late poet Muntazir Shinwari at the Government Degree College hall under aegis of Khyber Pashto Adabi Jirga (KPAJ).

A number of literary personalities from the tribal areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attended the event including poets, teachers, students, scholars and people from different walks of life.

A renowned poet Aseer Mengal presided over the session while Professor Dr Abaseen Yousafzai was the chief guest on the occasion.

The session was held in two parts.

In the first part, Dr Tawab Shah Masroor and other scholars presented their literary works to pay a huge tribute to the late poet Muntazir Shinwari. While in the second part, the poets including Qandahar Afridi, Shamat Khakari, Abdul Ghafoor, Ghafoor, Iqbal LaLa, Kabir Khan, Khanimullah Mazoor, Sameenullah Pathang and others recited poetry. The participants passed a unanimous resolution and asked the government to publish the literary work of late Muntazir Shinwari, resume the literary activities at Hamza Baba Complex and rename the College Hall in the memory of Hamza Baba.

Tribal elites protest against FATA-KP merger

The tribal elders on Wednesday held a demonstration at Bab-e-Khyber against the recent merging of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

According to the sources, scores of tribal elites belonging to different frontier regions, political workers of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and locals marched from Tehsil building to Bab-e-Khyber while holding black flags and chanting full-throat slogans against the FATA-KP merger.

The protesting leaders included Malik Faizullah Jan Koki Khel, Malik Salahuddin, Malik Abdul Manan Mulagori, Malik Israr, Pakistan People Party (PPP) Khyber President Wali Afridi.

“PML-N led government had surrendered before the majority of the tribesmen’s will by implementing the FATA-KP merger, and we consider it quite regretful,” the leaders asserted.

Importantly, they have announced to boycott the upcoming anti-polio campaign and government-held programmes. They maintained that out of eight former members of the parliament, only one had supported the merger plan, and that represents the decision of tribesmen who were not in favour of FATA-KP merger. Later, they vowed to continue their struggle till the merger is revoked.

Two sisters injure in cylinder explosion

Two sisters were grievously injured on Wednesday when a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder exploded in Pased Khel Village, located in a remote area of Landi Kotal sub-district. Reportedly, 12-year-old Barfina and two-year-old Saduri were playing in their room when a gas cylinder blew up, injuring both of them.

Subsequently, their relatives and locals rushed to the site and shifted them to Landi Kotal Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the doctors recommended shifting them to Peshawar Hospital due to their critical condition. Their father, Sher Ali, who is a daily wager appealed to the administrative authorities for financial support for treatment of his daughters and reparation of his damaged house.

Published in Daily Times, June 21^st 2018.