TIMERGARA: Hundreds of college students took to streets here on Monday against the administration of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Malakand.

Led by office-bearers of Islami Jamiat Tulba, the protesters blamed the board management for poor marking in Higher Secondary School Certificate examinations and negligence in duty. Holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against BISE Malakand administration, they gathered outside Timergara Press Club.

Addressing the rally, IJT divisional nazim Shuaib Ahmad, Anwar Aziz, Izharullah and others said that over 45,000 students appeared in the HSSC examinations but over 21,000 were declared failed. They said that the board management registered unfair means cases against thousands of regularcoHege students.

The speakers said that studentswere not satisfied with the marking of papers. They said that thousands of students would say goodbye to education due to their failure in the FA and FSc examinations.

They demanded of the government to take notice of the matter and address grievances of students till August 10. They also demanded immediate transfer of BISE Malakand chairman and re-checking of the papers of failed students.

Also, the students of the government college Gulabad alleged that majority of the students of state-run colleges had been f aile d deliberately while the students of private colleges had been awarded higher marks.

They also pointed fingers at the position holder students of a private college owned by Provincial Minister for Finance Muzafar Said. The students of Gulabad college also demanded re-checking of papers within a week.

TRADERS: The traders of Chakdara held a rally on Monday against the unscheduled power outages and low voltage.

The protesting traders were led byKhawaja Faizul Ghafoor. The traders also observed shutter down strike and marched on the road. They chanted slogans against Pesco authorities and grid station staf f.

Speaking on the occasion, Faizul Ghafoor, Akbar Khan, Ali Badshah, Mudat Khan, Sultanud Din and others said that duration of power outage in the area reached 20 hours a day. They said that traders and other people had electricity only for three or four hours due to which all business activities had come to a standstill.

The protesters demanded of the authorities to resolve the issue. They threatened to besiege Chakdara grid station if authorities failed to resolve the matter within a week.

Also in the day, scores of people held a protest against Nadra authorities for what they called their failure to run power generator at Chakdara office.

The protesters came out of the Nadra office and gathered on Chakdara-Ramora Road. They said that applicants were facing hardships in getting national identity cards as staff closed the office during power outage. Correspondent