Razmak College opens despite security risk

Razmak College opens despite security risk
Islamabad: While the political agent of North Waziristan has set up his camp office outside the agency for security reasons, students and teachers of Razmak Cadet College are being forced to shift from Peshawar to the NWA battle zone just to send a message abroad that normalcy has been restored.

While the Army is insisting on the shift, the political administration has not given the clearance. The college was shifted to Peshawar after militants hijacked student buses in June 2009. "Please help us saving our children from becoming human shields for the army," said Zahoor Khan, a government servant whose son was among those previously kidnapped.

He together with other concerned parents of Mehsud and Wazir tribes has issued a statement seeking attention of authorities. "When we could not protect GHQ and Naval base from terrorists, how students would be saved in Razmak Cadet College. This move is tantamount to putting our future generations at risk."

The college is resuming classes in Razmak, said the joint statement of parents, in order to given impression that region has been cleared of the terrorists and our children are being used as a shield in this adventure.

Instead of heeding to their concern, the parents have been asked to pull out children from college in case of objection over shifting.

A Razmak cadet college teacher Atta-ul-Rehman said that they have been told that shifting back to Razmak is being done on Corps Commander Peshawar's order. "This is Corps Commander's (Peshawer) order. I'm obliged to follow," he said quoting Maj (r) Atta-ul-Rehman, the newly appointed college Principal who applied for security officer job but given the top position technically held by a brigadier-rank officer. The principal did not respond to calls and messages.

The college teachers critical to decision have been put on warning. "A team teachers sent for inspection of college building in Razmak sought security of their families in case of any untoward situation," said a teacher. The principal reacted angrily to this. "Instead of giving ear to their concerns, he put them on notice and sought explanation."

Previously an English teacher, Noor Mohammad Wazir, was killed in a bomb blast leaving his family in a lurch as nobody in the government offered financial compensation to them, said a teacher.

As the management has been ordered to pack up, the college premises in Razmak is still occupied by three brigades of the army where trading fire and rockets with militants is a routine business, say teachers and parents.

Even the political agent of North Waziristan sits in Bannu instead of Miran Shah on security grounds and escorted by a huge cavalcade.

The management has been directed to resume college in Razmak from May 30 despite inspection reports by the college's own team led by Mushtaq Ahmad, head of college's English department, that the security situation is not conducive for academic business.

The concerned parents, in a joint statement, have sought the attention of the media and legislature. It said that the report of Cadet College's inspection team about the feasibility of shifting to Razmak must be made public so that people could know that the move has been ordered despite serious reservations of the inspection reservation.

"We don't want that the army and other authorities face huge embarrassment again through this move. We don't want that the dead bodies of students and teachers are 'gifted' to the government by the terrorists."