Suspect behind torching of Pakistan girls' schools killed: Police
Islamabad, Aug 5 : The prime suspect behind the torching of 14 girls' schools in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region was killed during a search operation on Sunday, a police spokesman said.
The spokesman told Dawn news that Shafiq, who has no known association with any organised militant or terrorist outfits, was the prime suspect behind the brazen arson attacks targeting girls' schools in the Chilas, Darel and Tanger tehsils of Diamer district between 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Friday.
The police began conducted raids in various parts of Diamer on Saturday night to track down those responsible for the arson attacks.
So far, 18 suspects have been arrested.
Among the schools targeted, eight were government-run while the other four were run by non-profits in the remote and mountainous region that borders Afghanistan, China and Jammu and Kashmir.
There were between 200 and 300 girls enrolled in each school on an average, taking the total enrolment to around 3,500 in the area.
In 2004, half a dozen girls' schools had been torched in one go. Girls' schools were also targeted by extremists in 2011 and 2015.
Destruction of schools and attacks on teachers and students, especially girls, by Islamic insurgents are common in Pakistan, where around 23 million children are out of school.
Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai was shot and injured by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating the education of girls in Swat valley.
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MP Brijesh Chowta urges centre to grant point of call status to Mangaluru airport
New Delhi: Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta has demanded that Mangaluru International Airport be given Point of Call (TOC) status urgently.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, MP Chowta said that Mangaluru International Airport is a major aviation gateway for coastal Karnataka and neighbouring Kerala. The airport handled around 23.4 lakh passengers, including 7.15 lakh international passengers, during 2024-25. More than 16,800 flights were operated for it. This has registered a growth of more than 15% annually. He said that these figures highlight the importance of the airport in terms of growth and commercial promotion.
A significant number of people from Tulunadu regions work in Gulf and Middle Eastern countries. This working community relies heavily on Mangaluru airport for international travel. However, due to lack of point of call status, foreign airlines are unable to operate direct international services from here. Hence, passengers have to travel via Bengaluru or Cochin airports. This is causing various inconveniences to the NRI community, including high cost, long travel time, Brijesh Chowta has drawn the attention of the House.
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Granting the status to Mangaluru International Airport will enable direct international connectivity for the people of this region. It will also facilitate further expansion of airline operations. It will enable smooth travel for the working class abroad and their families.
Such air connectivity will naturally boost trade and investment activities here. It will also support and encourage regional industries like areca nut, cashew nut processing and petrochemicals. It will also complement the growth of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone, MP Chowta assured the House.
Providing direct international connectivity can not only boost the growth of tourism in the coastal region but also the progress in the education sector. It will also facilitate easy travel for students, researchers and visitors of prestigious institutions like NITK Suratkal and Manipal Institute of Technology to international forums, he said.
