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Editorial: Killing of an Educationist
Added by admin on January 27, 2013.
Saved under EDITORIAL, Malik Siraj Akbar, Showcase, SPORTS
Tags: BALOCHISTAN, Challenger Academy Kharan, education in balochistan, Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Human Rights Watch on Balochistan, Killing of teachers in Balochistan, Malik Siraj Akbar, Mir Akram Mengal Kharan, The Baloch Hal

Shaheed Ikram Mengal Advocate12More than ten days have passed since Mohammad Akram Mengal, the Chief Director of an educational institution in Kharan District known as the Challenger Academy, and his four-year old son Rehan Akram Mengal, were brutally shot dead by unidentified persons. The attackers entered inside the school, carried out the assault and easily managed to escape from the scene.

The government functionaries have remained utterly clueless in tracing the culprits of the tragic incident. The killing has sent shock waves among the students and the residents in Balochistan in general and Kharan in particular about the state of lawlessness. A brazen attack, such as the one that killed Mr. Mengal and his kid on January 18, justifiably worries the people of the area considering the attackers’ level of confidence which emboldened them to the extent of entering inside the school to shoot Mr. Mengal and his son and then comfortably walk away from the scene.

The shooting took place at a time when the federal government has imposed the governor rule in Balochistan in the wake of increasing lawlessness. The government gave the impression that the state of law and order would considerably improve after the dismissal of the provincial government over its failure to curb lawlessness. Things do not seem to be improving even after a change of guards in the offices of power. It is an unrealistic expectation to hope that the government can end all forms of violence overnight in the aftermath of the imposition of the governor rule. However, what is disappointing is the lack of follow-up investigation by the police department in these cases of homicide. The failure of the police department to arrest the murderers of Mr. Mengal and the little boy shows that the governor rule has not necessarily resulted in a positive change in the performance of our security apparatus nor have the custodians of the law been convinced to review their professional behavior.

Shaheed Rehan Ikram Mengal3Mr. Mengal’s killing is a true setback for the education sector in Balochistan. Since 1998, he had been struggling to promote education in one of the most backwards parts of Balochistan. His academy imparted education among students of primary and secondary levels. Students were also given computer training at the same academy in the evening shifts. He had worked tirelessly to establish his academy with the aim to provide high quality education to the youth of his area.

In Balochistan, these private language centers, schools, libraries and computer training institutions have done a remarkable job in educating young students. Their work is adorable simply because Balochistan government’s Department of Education has been performing very poorly across the province.

Private institutions, such as the one founded by Mr. Mengal, are not solely motivated to make money but they are oftentimes the manifestation of educated local people’s personal commitment to contribute to the welfare of their communities. These are normally young people who get an opportunity to study outside their home districts and then return with the desire to share their knowledge and experiences with their communities.

Education is one of the most affected sectors in the wake of the unabated cycle of violence that has engulfed Balochistan for nearly one decade. While some key educationists have been shot dead, the others have been compelled to flee the province. In some cases, institutions have faced scarcity of staff owing to security threats that prevent teachers from going and serving in remote parts of Balochistan. In addition, there are frequent reports of closure of institutions because of the security situation that often leads to shutter down and wheel jam strikes in interior Balochistan which is a another cause of disruption of the education system.

Nearly two years back, the Human Rights Watch (H.R.W.), while expressing concern about increasing attacks on educationists in Balochistan, warned in a 40-page report, “the future is at stake.”

Although no one has accepted responsibility for Mr. Mengal’s killing, the incident itself is sufficient to demoralize and scare students and teachers alike. Irrespective of the motivations behind Mr. Mengal’s killing, we would like to repeat what the H.R.W. had said two years ago that any kind of “grievances…are no excuse for shooting teachers dead. By killing teachers, harming students, and targeting schools, militants only increase Balochistan’s problems and deprive its youth of the benefits of education.”

As we pay tribute to Mr. Mengal for his15-year long struggle for the promotion of education in his native town, we would also call upon the governor of Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, the current chief executive of the province, to take personal notice of the killing of the prominent educationist and his son and immediately bring the murderers to justice.

MALIK SIRAJ AKBAR

Editor-in-Chief

The Baloch Hal

Published in The Baloch Hal on January 27, 2013