LOWER DIR: The additional secretary for elementary and secondary education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fayyaz Alam, paid a one-day visit to Lower Dir on the reopening of schools, following the summer vacation here on Friday.

The secretary formally welcomed the students back to school at the Government Centennial Model High School Timergara, one of the oldest educational institutions in the district, and attended a special morning assembly as chief guest.The event was attended by the district education officer (male) Inayatullah, Deputy DEO Fayyazuddin, school principal Rahatullah, faculty members, and a large number of students.

On the occasion, Fayyaz Alam distributed gifts and sweets among the students attending school on the first day after the summer break.

He also garlanded students who had performed well in the recent matriculation examinations.

Addressing the assembly, the additional secretary lauded the performance of the school, calling it a true model institution, committed to delivering quality education.

He noted that the school`s high enrollment and excellent matric examination results were clear indicators of its success.`These achievements are the outcome of dedicated teaching and the students` hard work,` he added.

Fayyaz Alam assured the school staff that the provincial government and the education department would continue to provide full support for further development and improvement of the school.

PEACE MARCH: A peace rally was held at Shaheed Chowk, Timergara, where political leaders and citizens gathered to protest risinginsecurity and military operation in Bajaur.

Carrying white flags in s cribe d with slogans like `we want peace,` theparticipants rejected what they described as an unjust and prolonged war imposed on the Pashtun belt for over four decades.

Speakers, including PTI MNA Mohammad Bashir Khan, Dir Qaumi Pasoon president Malik Shah Naseem Khan, ANP`s Malik Sajjad Yousafzai, JPs Engineer Hafiz Yaqubur Rehman, PPP`s Hanif Khan, and PTPs Ali Shah Mashwani alleged that hundreds of innocent Pashtuns had been killed in aconflict driven by foreign interests.

The leaders condemned recent killings in Bajaur, which they claimed, forced the locals to flee, and criticised the government and the security institutions for their inaction.

They demanded concrete steps to ensure peace and safety of citizens` lives and property, asserting that the so-called war on terror was being used to exploit the region`s resources.