ATI attack brings back horrific memories

Latest attack on the ATI has not only created panic among the people of K-P, but also raised concerns among parents

PESHAWAR: Friday’s attack on the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) building in Peshawar brought back horrific memories of that three-year-old ill-fated December day when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists carried out a cold-blooded act of terror on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.

On December 16, 2014, six terrorists entered the APS and opened fire on students and the staff; killing 141 people, including 132 schoolchildren.



That terrorist attack was one of the deadliest in the history of Pakistan which led to a dramatic change in policy of Pakistan, including devising the National Action Plan to eliminate terrorists from the country.

After three years, this ATI attack, in which at least nine people, mostly students, were martyred and 30 others injured, reminded the people of the bloodbath on that ill-fated day of December.

The current terrorist attack on the ATI has not only created panic among the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but also raised concerns among the parents about their children’s future.

It is the third attack on an educational institution in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the last three years as a similar incident occurred on January 20, 2016 when four terrorists entered the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda district, killing 20 people and injuring several others.



ATI history

The ATI was established in 1957-58 at Tarnab Farm, Peshawar which imparted one-year training course of field assistant till 1965.

However, the institute later shifted to Agriculture Department and Agriculture University Peshawar where it developed the curriculum for three-year Diploma programmes (Diploma in Agriculture Sciences-DAS and Diploma in Veterinary Sciences-DVS) in active consultation with all wings of the Agriculture Department and Agriculture University Peshawar.

This institute is also affiliated with the Agriculture University Peshawar for qualitative improvement and extended recognition of the diploma programmes across the country. The ATI has been enrolling diploma-level trainees from the 2012-13 session.

The main objectives of the ATI are to impart pre-service training to field assistants and veterinary assistants, impart in-service training to the field officers of the agriculture department, build the capacity of farmers (farmer trainings) and increase per unit yield of major crops, fruits, vegetables and livestock.

So far thousands of students have obtained certificates and diplomas from this institute, and currently around 107 students are enrolled, including 66 in DAS and 41 in DVS courses.



The distribution of seats for DAS were 16 on merit basis, a seat each for every district, four in the employees quota, one for the disabled and 20 for Frontier Regions and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Similarly, for DVS courses one seat is for every district, 10 for FATA/FRs, five special seats for North Waziristan Agency and one for employee’s son quota.



These courses are offered for science students after completion of secondary school while the age limit of these courses is maximum 20 years.