HEC scholarship entry test suspended in KP's Kurram district

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) ordered suspension of Higher Education Commission (HEC) scholarship entry test in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district due to the deteriorating security situation.

The entry test was scheduled for December 26 (today), but the court has suspended it for the time being.

According to the petitioner, the security situation in Kurram is unstable, making it impossible to hold the test in the district. The petitioner has also requested the court to arrange an examination hall in Sadda for students from Kurram.

The court has issued a written order asking HEC officials to appear on December 31.

Additionally, the court has ordered that the test be relocated to Sadda for students from Kurram and other areas, including Balochistan and FATA, who the HEC allocates 100 seats.

On December 23, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Cabinet on Monday declared Kurram disaster-hit amid a severe shortage of food and medicine supplies due to road closure after the violent sectarian attacks killed more than 100 people in the district.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur chaired the meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet regarding the situation of Kurram.

After the meeting, adviser to the chief minister on information and public relations Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said that the cabinet has approved declaring the district Kurram disaster-hit and imposing a relief emergency there.

He said that the provincial government is making sure the provision of medical and food supplies to Kurram which includes medicines, food supplies and transportation of people by helicopter.