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Weekly two holidays-wastage of precious time

By Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: The people of Chitral have termed the weekly holiday of Saturday a futile practice and a sheer wastage of the precious time of the students of the schools. Talking to chitraltimes.com here on Sunday, Zar Hayat Khna, president of parents-teachers council (PTC) of a government high school regretted that those at the whelms of the affairs are totally indifferent to the situation in Chitral while ordering the closure of schools on Saturday. He said that the second weekly holiday was solely meant to conserve electricity but they did not see to it that almost hundred schools of the district are without electricity. He added that the weather is very pleasant in Chitral and there is no need of electric fans in the class rooms even if some schools within the city have been electrified. A number of other parents alleged that in practice, the schools are closed for three days instead of two in a week because on Friday, the schools are shut down well before time for jumma prayers. Ridiculing the rationale of the holiday, in the upper part of district and in the southernmost valleys, the children have yet to ever see a light bulb or electric pole but they are made to conserve electricity. “The first quarter of the academic year has not yet taken off properly because the students had very recently been provided with the free text books”, said one Mujtaba Khan in furious mode who has four children in government schools. He said that the curtailing working days of the schools will inflict irreparable loss on the students.

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Ex Chairman of UC Terich died of electrocution

By Our Correspondent 

CHITRAL: A former vice-chairman of union council Terich Muhammad Amir died of electrocution in Terich valley of upper Chitral. he was said to be trying to restore the electric supply to his village by repairing the transmission lines when the current in the grid burnt him to death on the spot. The villagers said that the deceased was known for always taking initiative in collective matters of the village and even sacrificed his life to restore electricity to it.