KPK Updates

[Syed Haider Imam]

Right of Information is working or not...Check it out

Khattak spends Rs40m on gifts in 2014-15

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s generosity clears knows no bounds. The leader of the house spent Rs40 million on buying gifts for dignitaries and guests during the fiscal year 2014-15, overtaking Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan who spent Rs14 million.

The CM House’s total annual allocation was Rs264 million while an additional Rs60 million was spent. This is palpably the reason why, as budget documents reveal, Rs324 million has now been set aside for Khattak’s official residence for the forthcoming fiscal year.
The CM took home a smaller pay cheque than his principal secretary (PS). Like Mehtab, who was paid less than his military secretary, Khattak’s monthly pay last year stood at Rs252,000 while his PS was paid Rs916,000.

The CM Secretariat employs as many as 313 people, out of which 71 are high-ranking officials. The soaring expenditures were largely dominated by salaries of the aforementioned. Furthermore, the 313 employees are paid with at least 35 different types of allowances. This is in addition to the secretariat allowance, presidential allowance and the honouree allowance are overburdening the national exchequer.
During the last financial year, the CM House consumed electricity worth Rs22 million, gas worth Rs0.65 million. Rs26 million has been allocated for gas expenditures for 2015-16.

A total of Rs3.65 million was spent on the registration of new vehicles, furniture worth Rs2 million was bought. Additionally, Rs10.65 million was spent on construction and repairs while Rs13.8 million was spent on transportation costs. The CM House’s helicopter, aeroplane and staff vehicles burnt fuel worth Rs15 million.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015
http://tribune.com.pk/story/911017/khattak-spends-rs40m-on-gifts-in-2014-15/

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

‘Notorious’ target killer gunned down in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A wanted target killer was gunned down during a police encounter on Sunday early morning in Hazar Khwani in Peshawar.

“Naseer alias Kareechay was a notorious, hired assassin with numerous target killings on his hands,” police told The Express Tribune.

Read: ‘Financer’ of target killers gunned down

“Naseer was a proclaimed offender and was known to have been responsible for deaths in which he had not been nominated, locals feared him and his reputation,” said SSP Operations Mian Saeed.

According to reports, Naseer was known to be behind at least 21 target killings and was wanted for several other crimes. He recently came under suspicion of killing two women in Peshawar.

Read: More people killed by law enforcers than target killers, HRCP report


Police said that he was usually hired for the “highest bid”, which was sometimes placed by members of banned militant groups.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/911245/notorious-target-killer-gunned-down-in-peshawar/

Peshawar: Murderers Of 4 Sisters Arrested From Matli

2015-06-29 17:12:38

<font size="4"><font color="#212121"><span style="font-family: Georgia">[[video]video]http://video.dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/mustwatch/23845/Peshawar:-Murderers-of-4-sisters-arrested-from-Matli#.VZFk7PlViko[/video[/video]]

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

No outfits banned after APS massacre, top court told

ISLAMABAD: The government has not outlawed any militant group following the deadly Taliban rampage at Peshawar’s Army Public School that left more than 150 people – mostly schoolchildren – dead in December 2014. According to a list submitted by Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt in the Supreme Court on Friday, 212 national and transnational groups have been proscribed by the Pakistani government.

The interior ministry has banned 60 organisations since 9/11 while the foreign ministry blacklisted 171 outfits. Ten organisations are on the common proscription list. The Haqqani Network was proscribed on November 5, 2012, while the last group on the list was banned more than a year ago – in May 2014.

As per the federal government’s written reply, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s charitable trust Jamaatud Dawa has been on the watch-list since 2003 but no fresh action has been taken against the group.


Read: Unpaid hospital bills: APS victims stranded


Interestingly, the ultra-extremist Islamic State (IS) group, which has established a self-proclaimed caliphate on large swathes on land in Iraq and Syria, is not among the banned outfits. An interior ministry official requesting anonymity said the reason for not banning IS might be that Pakistan was not willing to accept the group’s presence on its soil.


The list was submitted on the orders of a full court, which has reserved its judgment on the petitions against the 18th and 21st constitutional amendments.
Justice Qazi Faez Essa had asked AGP Butt whether or not IS was banned in Pakistan, to which he promised to submit a detailed record for the court’s perusal.


“The list does not define how much state proscription is effective, as many of these organisations are [still] working under different names,” a court official said. As per the procedure, any proscribed group cannot work under a different banner. “But why this is happening is a question which the government is supposed to tell the highest forum,” the official added.

Read: Post APS attack: Stakeholders demand removal of hate material from schoolbooks

Under the national counterterrorism strategy, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) was authorised to keep an eye on the activities of these organisations. The government, however, did not release funds for the authority. Access to Nacta’s website has also been restricted for unknown reasons.
Recently, Nacta chief Hamid Ali Khan, along with Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, briefed a parliamentary panel on this issue. The official admitted that the 20-point National Action Plan (NAP), which envisages establishment of special courts for trying terrorism suspects and crackdown on jihadi outfits, was not working on the required pace. The officials also admitted that imposing a ban was not effective as the financial supply line of many of these proscribed organisations could not be disrupted.
The Nacta chief admitted that more needed to be done to clamp down on financers of sectarian and terrorist networks operating across Pakistan. “International cooperation is vital to block militant funding, and slow cooperation has hindered progress,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/911569/no-outfits-banned-after-aps-massacre-top-court-told/

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

Instant alert: SOS android service launched at 1,072 educational institutes in Kohat

KOHAT: The police have now launched the android-based SOS alert service in Kohat as well, to guarantee security at 1,072 educational institutes across the district.

Under this initiative, the management of schools will be able to alert the police of an emergency situation through an application installed on their android phone. As soon as a person taps the alert button on their mobile device, police stations and rescue centres will be notified and arrive at the site to deal with any eventualities.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Fazal Naeem, a police spokesperson, said the app has been installed on the mobile phones of the principal and other officials at schools. He added the service has been introduced at primary, secondary and high schools as well as colleges and universities across Kohat district.

A click away

“Through a single click, messages will be sent to six police stations and an alarm will also go off in 25 rescue centres,” he said. According to Naeem, the app has been introduced to make it easier for people to inform the police about any eventualities.
“More often than not, it is difficult for people to contact the police or provide exact details about their whereabouts during an emergency,” the spokesperson said. “This service will make it easier for police to respond to a situation.”
Naeem said all heads of educational institutes have been trained on how to use the app.
“We have installed the service on their phones free of cost,” he added.

Under threat

Following the attack on Army Public School in the provincial capital which left over 150 people, mostly schoolchildren, the provincial police launched an android-based One-Click SOS Alert Service in the city. This service enabled vulnerable and sensitive institutions, including schools, to inform the police about any emergency.
W
ith time, the service was also introduced in various districts across the province.

The APS massacre presented fresh challenges to ensure security at schools. The boundary walls at schools were raised, teachers were provided licenced weapons and a community watch was set up to ensure security. However, the costs associated with these arrangments and the failure to meet security requirements forced many schools to remain closed for prolonged periods of time.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/911510/...ched-at-1072-educational-institutes-in-kohat/

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

Dawn 26, 2015

Mini hydropower units being installed in Upper, Lower Dir

UPPER DIR: More than 37 micro hydropower generators are being installed in Upper and Lower Dir by a non- governmental organisation in collaboration with European Union to control electricity crisis in the two districts.
Of the total 37 generators, 32 were being installed in Upper Dir and five in Lower Dir, said Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) regional monitoring and evaluation officer Fayyaz Ahmad Noor.
He was briefing the participants of the inaugural ceremony of 80KV hydropower generator at Adilo, Tarpatar, Usheri Darra in Upper Dir. He said that nine of the generators were already installed. Seven generators were installed in Upper Dir and two in Lower Dir, he added.
The project was inaugurated by Martyn Wright, the judge of international monitoring organisation Ashand, and SRSP regional programme manager Noor Ajab Khan.

---

The projects being executed by an NGO with help of European Union will ease electricity crisis in the two districts

---

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Wright said that Ashand was an international NGO that was monitoring work on projects in micro hydro power sector. It was working in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other countries, he added.
Mr Wright said that Upper Dir and Malakand division were rich with water resources and a lot of electricity could be generated from those resources. The power crisis could be ended in Pakistan by proper utilisation of those resources, he added.
Mr Wright appreciated SRSP for its quality work to produce electricity.
Speaking on the occasion, Noor Ajab said that SRSP started the programme to install hydro generators to help in reducing power crisis in Upper and Lower Dir districts. He said that European Union funded the hydropower projects in Malakand division.

He said that 280 kilowatts electricity was generated through the seven completed projects in Nusrat Dara, Shahikot, Adilo, Junkai and others areas in Upper Dir while 80 kilowatts electricity was produced in Lajbok Dara in Lower Dir.
Mr Ajab said that work on installation of other generators would be completed soon.

He said that thousands of families in Upper and Lower Dir were being benefited from the projects.
Mr Ajab said that SRSP was awarded by Ashand for its best performance in hydropower sector in Malakand. SRSP chief executive officer Masudul Mulk received the award the other day at a ceremony in London, he added.
Malak Waris Khan, former nazim of Tarpatrar, thanked Martyn Wright and SRSP for resolving the chronic issue of the area.
Niamatullah, a resident of the area, said that children of the area would go to school wearing pressed clothes after installation of power generator.
Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190534/mini-hydropower-units-being-installed-in-upper-lower-dir


Poll results of 21 UCs withheld in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: The Election Commission of Pakistan has withheld results of 21 union councils in Nowshera district on the recommendation of district returning officer. These union councils also include that of Manki Sharif where Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had cast his vote in the local government election.
Liaquat Khattak, brother of the chief minister, had contested elections for the district council seat of Manki Sharif against Awami National Party candidate Jawad Khattak, the son of party leader Shahid Khan Khattak.
The official result of the said union council was withheld on a written complaint filed against it by ANP leader Shahid Khan, said party’s district president Malik Juma Khan.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190539/poll-results-of-21-ucs-withheld-in-nowshera

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

June 27 2015

Mismanagement mars Swat hospital affairs

MINGORA: Mismanagement has marred the affairs of the Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital Swat due to the health department’s failure to fill the medical superintendent vacancy during the last three months.
Currently, the deputy MS oversees the hospital as its acting head.
A staff member said things at the hospital had been in complete disorder due to the top vacancy.
“Though we are striving to efficiently discharge our responsibilities under the deputy MS, many things are not as they should be in absence of a permanent head of the hospital. For example, we’re short of medicine but can’t do anything as new supplies need the sanction of the permanent MS,” a staff member told Dawn.
He also said MRI machine was not in use due to unavailability of films forcing patients to go to private laboratories for tests.
When contacted, Barkat Ali, who oversees the machine, confirmed films were unavailable.
“We finished up MRI films yesterday and demanded supply of more films,” he said. He also said 10,000 films were provided to the hospital, which was not enough, and therefore, the quota should be increased.
Another staff member said only a permanent MS could order purchase of MRI films for being the hospital’s drawing and disbursing officer.
Patients complained the premises lacked cleanliness, while waiting places for attendants were in bad shape.
“There is no garbage disposal system. People not only throw garbage on the premises but also relieve themselves wherever they like,” said elderly attendant Umar Zada.
He also complained about noise caused by vehicles passing through the hospital premises. The attendant said in 1960s, not only medicines were given free to patients but also the hospital was very clean and tidy.
“The Wali-i-Swat would personally visit the hospital to monitor things,” he said. Many attendants said the hospital’s waiting sheds were poorly maintained so they relax by sitting on the floor in corridors.
“The floor is better than waiting sheds. At least, it is smoother,” said Fazal Rehman of Shangla, who accompanied a patient.
Women patients complained most of their wards were located on the second floor to their misery.
They demanded installation of elevators or construction of ramps for their comfort. Some demanded fumigation of the hospital to eliminate mosquitoes and other insects.
When contacted, MPA Fazal Hakim said the vacancy of the Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital MS had been filled and that the appointee would assume charge of the office shortly.
The 497-bed hospital is the fifth largest in the province catering to the people from Malakand division and Kohistan district. — Correspondent
Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190787/mismanagement-mars-swat-hospital-affairs


PML-N to form tehsil govt in Mansehra


MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has secured majority in the Mansehra Tehsil Council to form the next local government.
The development comes as a group of eight independently elected councillors join the PML-N. The PML-N had won local body elections in 12 of the total of 36 wards in Mansehra tehsil.
Its strength in tehsil council increased to 20 after the group of eight independent councillors announced joining of the PML-N.
Members of the group led by Khurram Khan Swati appeared before Mansehra district returning officer Aamir Khattak and produced documents showing their decision to join the PML-N.
Among them were councilors-elect Raja Ayaz of City Union Council No 1, Syed Ibrar Shah of City Union Council No 2, Umar Farooq of City Union Council No 3, Khurram Khan Swati of City Union Council No 4, Malik Arab Khan of Union Council Behali, Arif Khan of Union Council Lassan Thakral, Khalid Qureshi of Jabar Davli Union Council and Israr of Jabori Union Council.
The DRO examined the documents submitted by councillors- elect and issued them the receipt. Now, it is clear who will form the local governments in Mansehra district and its three tehsils.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf will install own government in district only, whereas governments in Mansehra and Balakot tehsils will be formed by the PML-N and that in Oghi tehsil by Jamaat-i-Islami.
Insiders said local PML-N leadership was considering different names for the offices of Mansehra and Balakot tehsil council chairmen. They said the nominees would be from within the party.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190784/pml-n-to-form-tehsil-govt-in-mansehra


KP’s highest-earning govt banker seeks more perks


PESHAWAR: A top banker of the provincial government, who receives a staggering amount of money in salary and other privileges, has formally demanded further increase in his perks and privileges.
With the highest salary package in the province, Managing Director of the Bank of Khyber Shamsul Qayyum gets Rs16.8 million, including Rs10.2 million basic pay/managerial remuneration, annually.
Besides, he is also entitled to other bonuses as decided by the bank’s board of directors.
The provincial government holds 70.2 per cent management stakes in the BoK, which was established through an act.
A summary put up to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for approval says the incumbent BoK managing director has requested for enhancing his perks and privileges.
“The MD has requested that his agreement may be amended and he will be entitled for two vehicles (1600cc and 1300cc) with drivers for official and residential duty and maintenance at the bank’s expenses with 500 liters fuel per month on the pattern of privileges granted to his predecessor,” read the official communication.
Finance minister Muzaffar Said confirmed his ministry too had received the summary.
“The government has yet to approve the case,” he told Dawn.
If the chief minister approves additional package, it will cost the province’s kitty around Rs660,000.
However, the official letter said the bank would bear financial implications and would not burden the provincial exchequer.
Sources in the finance department said certainly, it would burden the provincial exchequer because the government had more than 70 per cent shares in the bank.
They said two vehicles had already been provided to the BoK head, so there was no justification for provision of more to him.
“Ultimately, it will burden the provincial exchequer,” said one source.
When contacted, Shamsul Qayyum said he had asked the provincial government for the regularisation of two vehicles, which he currently possessed.
“The MD is not supposed to move in a handcart,” he replied when asked for justification for having two vehicles.
He claimed acceptance of his request would not put extra burden on the exchequer.
The BoK head is paid Rs900,000 conveyance allowance a year.
Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190790/kps-highest-earning-govt-banker-seeks-more-perks

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JUNE 28, 2015

Half of queries lapsed in KP Assembly last year


PESHAWAR: Around half of the questions placed on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s agenda in the recently ended parliamentary year lapsed mostly due to the absence of their movers in the house.
In the assembly’s second parliamentary year, which ended on May 28, 2015, a total of 423 questions of lawmakers along with their replies put on the assembly agenda.
Of them, 227 were replied on the floor of the house, while the rest totaling 196 lapsed.
Of the lapsed questions, 158 lapsed due to the absence of movers, while others couldn’t be discussed by the house due to the prorogation of the session, revealed the official documents available with Dawn.
The assembly secretariat had received 826 questions submitted by MPAs and 698 of them were admitted for reply by the relevant departments.
Replies to the remaining questions have yet to be submitted.
The number of questions replied decreased from 244 in the 2014 parliamentary year to 227 in the next year.
Last year, 1,323 of the 1787 questions lapsed, which were 74 percent of the total.
The house referred 35 of the total 227 questions replied to the relevant standing committees for detailed discussion, while 17 were deferred or remained pending.
The process of submitting a question to the assembly secretariat and getting its reply from the relevant government department often takes months.
The preparation of replies costs thousands of rupees paid from the national exchequer. Hundreds of their copies are made for distribution among lawmakers and journalists.
Besides, a lot of time is also spent by the respective departments for preparing replies.
However, the taxpayers’ money and time of the government departments proved a futile exercise when the relevant questions’ replies go unheard.
Of the total 698 questions admitted by the assembly secretariat, 102 are about elementary and secondary education, 66 health, 62 home and tribal affairs, 59 local government, 44 communication and works, 39 public health engineering, 38 agriculture, livestock and cooperation, 38 higher education, 24 environment, 27 irrigation, 20 administration and 16 finance.
When contacted, Awami National Party MPA Syed Jafar Shah said lawmakers went to the assembly to discuss the people’s problems and pressured the government to resolve them.
“The lapsing of questions is a very serious issue because through such questions, every lawmaker pinpoints weaknesses and flaws in government departments and injustices meted out to the people,” he said.
The MPA said lawmakers should also show responsibility and ensure their presence in the house on the day when their questions were on the assembly agenda.
“Millions of rupees and efforts of the relevant departments are utilised in preparation of replies so it should not be wasted and the questions on agenda discussed in any way,” he said.
To avoid lapsing of questions, Shah said he had moved a motion on the floor of the house to extend the question hour from one hour to one and a half hours so that more and more questions could be discussed.
He also said he had suggested in the same motion that once a question was submitted to the assembly secretariat and replayed by the department, then it should not be lapsed.
The MPA said both his suggestions were turned down by the government.
The legislators from treasury and opposition benches have lost interest in the assembly proceedings as the current session has become the longest in history. It has been continuing for more than eight months.
Convened on October 23, 2014, the current session has entered its ninth month.
Till the end of May, prior to the unveiling of the budget for next fiscal and its passage, many sittings were adjourned in the first five to 10 minutes due to lack of quorum without discussing a single agenda item.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190972/half-of-queries-lapsed-in-kp-assembly-last-year


Pressure on Peshawar roads as 2,000 more cabs given permits


PESHAWAR: Despite launch of the traffic warden service by the police department the traffic situation in the provincial metropolis is likely to worsen as the transport department continues to issue new vehicle permits with no concrete planning to overcome the existing problems.
Some 2,000 fresh permits have been issued to taxi cabs during the past few months at a time when the existing roads have become insufficient for the huge traffic. A reliable source in the transport department told Dawn that the new permits were adding to the traffic problems because majority of the newly permitted vehicles had come from different districts and tribal regions and they were supposed to go back to respective areas to reduce the burden on the roads in Peshawar.
The source said that most of the yellow cabs used to be ply in the rural areas or on the roads of Hayatabad Township to avoid heavy penalties by traffic police, but after getting the permits these vehicles all of a sudden came on the roads in cantonment and city areas, adding to miseries of the citizens.
When contacted, RTA Secretary Niamatullah Khan said that about 1,400 permits had been issued to the taxi cabs which had increased the revenue of the provincial government. He said that these vehicles also plied on the roads in the past, but they did not contribute to the provincial kitty. He said that now everyone would pay at least Rs2,100 per permit and they would also pay fines in case of violations on the city roads.

---

SSP says transport department should remove old vehicles from city roads

---

However, Peshawar traffic SSP Wahid Mehmood said that before issuing new permits the transport department was bound to ensure disposal of the outdated vehicles so that the traffic volume on the roads could be reduced. Sharing figures of a survey conducted by urban planning unit in Jan 2014, he said that some 70,000 auto-rickshaw existed in Peshawar which alone are sufficient enough to cover the roads.
In Peshawar, there are 350,000 registered and 450,000 non-registered vehicles. He said that of these vehicles about 8,000 were very old, but still being used as public transport.
The SSP said that legally the vehicles older than nine years could not ply on the category ‘A’ road, older than 11 years even on category ‘B’ road, while those older than 15 years could not be allowed to use category ‘C’ roads. However, in Peshawar there is no check on vehicles, which also add to pollution and create traffic problems.
He said that the new traffic warden service had been launched on the basis of existing staff and vehicles because 669 new personnel would be recruited through public service commission. He said that most of the traffic problems pertained to the infrastructure. He said that establishment of the traffic engineering and planning agency was need of the hour to keep regular check on the traffic movement and bring the relevant changes in roads.
Similarly, he called for implementation of the bylaws by the civic bodies to ban construction of buildings unless they ensured parking lots. He said that it was duty of the relevant departments to remove all the outdated vehicles from the roads and bring quality transport to facilitate the passengers and save the environment as well. He also suggested formation of a combined squad for checking the unregistered and low standard vehicles at least at Pir Zakori Bridge, Amn Chowk and Hayatabad.
The SSP said that one of the traffic problems was increase in the number of Afghan Transit Trade vehicles because over 1,000 vehicles passed daily through the Peshawar roads. He said that the influx of 0.2 million IDPs and absence of link roads and parking places/ plazas were other reasons for the traffic chaos. The bus stands and wholesale markets within the city area were also contributing to the problems.
He said that linking of all the main arteries was necessary because the permanent closure of 20 roads in cantonment area due to security reasons had caused much inconvenience where daily traffic volume had reached up to 750,000.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190973/pressure-on-peshawar-roads-as-2000-more-cabs-given-permits


Man gets jail for running illegal gateway exchange


PESHAWAR: A local court on Saturday convicted a person on the charge of running an illegal Voice over Internet Protocol gateway exchange in the provincial capital and sentenced him to one year rigorous imprisonment with fine of Rs2 million.
Additional district and sessions judge Kalsoom Azam Khan pronounced after completion trial that the prosecution had proved its case against the accused, Habibullah Khan, and that evidence on record proved his involvement in the commission of the offence.
In the case, the Federal Investigation Agency had received a complaint from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority over running of an illegal gateway exchange in a Hayatabad Township house.
A team of the FIA’s National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes headed by SHO Inspector Shahid Ilyas had raided the house of a bureaucrat, stated to be an uncle of the convict, on Nov 25, 2014, and seized the gateway exchange along with other items, including dozens of SIM cards.
An FIR was registered under Section 31 of the PTA Act.
The bail petition of the convict was earlier dismissed by the trial court. The judgment was upheld by higher courts, including the Supreme Court.
Inspector Shahid Ilyas appeared before the court and insisted the accused had inflicted loss to the exchequer by running illegal gateway.
He said the equipment used in the offence were also recovered from his possession.
“Several invoices of different money exchange companies were recovered from the accused proving that he had received several monetary transactions from abroad in connection with the said gateway,” he said.
Inspector Shahid pointed out that security situation in the country was delicate and therefore, such gateways had become dangerous for being used by local terrorists to remain in contact with their accomplices living abroad.
He said tracing calls through such gateways was difficult for the law enforcement agencies as the equipment required for it was very expensive.
The defence lawyer said his client was falsely implicated in the case and that he used the seized equipment for personal use and not illegal gateway.
Also, the court convicted two people for a murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment with Rs250,000 fine.
The accused, Daud and Faqir Hussain, both residents of Pishtakhara area, were arrested on the charge of shooting down Akhtar Munir and injuring his son, Imdad Khan, over old enmity.
The case against them was registered under sections 302 and 324 of Pakistan Penal Code.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190968/man-gets-jail-for-running-illegal-gateway-exchange

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

RTI law meaningless without covering provincial assembly, says ANP

PESHAWAR: ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain has criticised the provincial government’s move to exclude the provincial assembly from the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Mr Hussain, who was information minister during the previous ANP government, said that the move amounted to treating the provincial assembly as a ‘sacred cow’.

“The speaker of the provincial assembly has immense discretionary powers to give jobs to anyone he likes in violation of all rules, ethics and law. He can serve show-cause notices, conduct inquiries and expel people from jobs without being accountable,” the ANP leader said.

He said that the entire business of the province was channeled through the provincial assembly and if it was not held accountable, it would render the RTI law meaningless.

Mr Hussain said that any query or request for information under RTI law could be easily evaded now with the departments saying that the matter was raised on the floor of the provincial assembly and the request shelved because according to assembly rules, it could not be made public.

“The move gives all government departments a formal cover to hide behind,” said Mr Hussain.

The former information minister said work on the RTI Act was initiated during the ANP government and even it was approved by the then cabinet. However, the Act was passed by the PTI government, which had little to do with it as 99 per cent of work was done by the ANP government, he added.

“Now the cat is out of the bag. If it was left to PTI, they would never have included the provincial assembly in its ambit. Exempting the provincial assembly means exempting the entire government machinery,” said Mr Hussain.

The ANP leader said that RTI law in Punjab not only covered the Punjab Assembly but also the high court. “Those, who raise slogans of transparency and ending corruption, are going against the public interest through restricting the ambit of the right to information,” he said.

All matters of public interest should be transparent and those representing the people, whether inside or outside the assembly, should be accountable to them, Mr Hussain said.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1190530/rti-law-meaningless-without-covering-provincial-assembly-says-anp

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

Dawn 29 2015

Is bubble of fiscal sustainability of KP about to burst?

PESHAWAR: Has Khyber Pakhtunkhwa run its course of financial sustainability? Is the bubble about to burst? On the face of it, this may seem unlikely but dig deeper into the budget for 2015-2016 and it stares you right in the face.

KP’s finance department is a remarkable place where officials have been deftly and routinely churning out cyclostyled copies of budgets, changing and ratcheting figures here and there. Any wonder, why KP’s budgets have been looking and sounding strikingly similar over the years?

Let there be no illusions. There are no professionals at the helm to craft the budget, to order comprehensive spending reviews and apply brakes to the government’s ever growing penchant for spending.
Instead there are wizards, who make things happen, produce a rabbit out of a hat and create a make believe world for their political masters to pull wool over the eyes of all and sundry.
Forgive the public, for they know not, what this jugglery of numbers is all about. Even the lawmakers, who pass the budgets, hardly make any effort to understand the number game beyond looking for their schemes included in the Annual Development Programme.

But there is a limit to stretch one’s imagination, particularly, when the wizards are no Archimedes. A time comes when reality starts staring you in the face and that moment of reckoning for KP, perhaps, could be round the corner soon, if sanity does not prevail and political astuteness does not give way to political expediency.

What therefore, was the need for deliberately and artificially inflating figures to ‘balance’ the budget, considering the resource constraints? There are so many ‘ifs’ in the budget for the next Bubble of fiscal sustainability of KP about to burst? financial year that if any of the ‘ifs’ does not materialise, KP would either have to go for drastic budgetary cuts or go for borrowing.
Historically, there have been shortfalls on the receivables side from federal tax assignments which were always met through internal cushions. The large cushion available with KP, having been absorbed in the current financial year due to shortfall in revenue from federal as well as provincial resources, has left little space for the budget in 2015-16.

---

No professionals at the helm to craft budget

---

Consider KP’s budget for 2015-16. Our budget has been pitched at Rs487.884 billion, showing a 21 per cent increase over current year, with a development budget of Rs174.88 billion and outlay of Rs142 billion from own resources and Rs38.88 billion from foreign sources.

General Sales Tax on Services (Provincial) has been pitched at Rs14 billion, Rs2 billion more than current year’s estimate. Considering that KP would not be able to even achieve the current year’s target, the projected figure seems ambitious enough to leave a budgetary gap of at least Rs5 billion by the end of the next financial year.

The receipts from Provincial Own Receipts (Tax & Non Tax) are more mind-boggling. Pitched at Rs 37.12 billion for the next financial year as against Rs13.93 billion, the budget shows a staggering increase of 166 per cent. Taxes levied in the new budget just do not correspond to such a phenomenal increase.

The finance department, however, argues that the projected increase is on account of the proposed sale of dry windfall of forests and penalty recovered from permission to sell illegally cut timber (a controversial decision nonetheless) and revenue collected from outsourcing of development of model city in Peshawar and towns in other districts to the private sector in the next financial year.
Similarly, net hydel profit for the next financial year has been pitched at Rs17 billion, currently capped at Rs6 billion. There is going to be a shortfall of Rs11 billion, unless of course, as promised, the federal government yield to KP’s long standing demand of uncapping the amount.
Likewise, the revenue expected on account of arrears of net hydel profit has been pitched at Rs51.87 billion. It is all the more mind-boggling as not a dime came through against the projected amount of Rs32.27 billion in the current year.
[TABLE="class: media one-whole palm--one-whole, width: 698"]
[TR]
[TD="class: media__item, align: center"]

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


The government is optimistic though that the federal government will follow through on its commitment to pay the arrears and that a Memorandum of Understanding is expected to be signed soon to the effect to put to rest a long standing issue.

Federal Minister for Water Khwaja Asif told the National Assembly the other day that a draft was currently being vetted by the Law Division and he too was optimistic of resolving what he described as a just issue.
There have been false starts in the past with federal government reneging on promises and if KP is able to get the NHP uncapped and recover its arrears, it would be a big achievement. But if, like the past, the federal government drags its feet, this would leave a gaping hole of Rs51.87 billion in the budget and literally leave KP’s financial kitty in tatters.

What, however, is more ominous and arguably the most alarming aspect of the next financial budget is the amount shown as “Recoveries of Investment of Hydel Development”, projected at Rs15 billion. On the face of it, it has been made to look like profit accruing from Rs27.56 billion Hydel Development Fund. The profit from this investment could not under any imagination be more than Rs2 billion. Depicting the sum under the receivables, it seems, the government has decided to blow away the fund, meant exclusively for the development on hydel energy, on brick and mortar and inflate the budget.

The finance department claims that the money shown in receivables would be spent on the development of hydel generation does not hold any water, since projects worth Rs3.4 billion have been allocated for the purpose, the rest of the amount -- Rs11.6 billion -- will be fritted away on other expenditures. This is a major reversal of a policy decision of the past government.

The total shortfall, thus, if calculated would come a whooping Rs93 billion. Our entire budget thus hinges on the federal government commitment to pay up arrears and uncapping of net profits and a host of other projections. A shortfall in one receivable and we will have to resort to budgetary cuts and borrowing. Not a good omen for the ruling coalition in KP.

But, even if we do somehow survive this bubble burst, the yet more ominous sign is the spiraling salary and pension bill that now consumes 71 per cent of our budget, leaving a paltry 29 per cent for development.
Although, there has been some increase in O&M, but the amount is not enough to ensure good service delivery in the education and health sectors.

Politics and finances do not go hand in hand. The decision to grant across the board up-gradation to various segments of the civil dispensation has added Rs20 billion to the salary bill.

One would have expected Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to do a better job at budget-making to do away with regional disparities and to invest in KP’s core strengths to generate not just more revenue but also more employment. Alas, it too, like its predecessors, relied on a visionless and toothless planning department and finance department for a bail out.
Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191093/is-bubble-of-fiscal-sustainability-of-kp-about-to-burst

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN - June 30 2015

300 policemen get professional training


SWABI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa additional inspector-general of police Tariq Javid on Monday said the police force had played its due role in countering the terrorist activities in the province and it was ready to render more sacrifices for establishment of durable peace in the province.
He was addressing the passing out parade of 300 policemen who received training in the Swabi Police Training School (PTS), Shahmansoor. The ceremony was attended by DIG Mardan Saeed Khan Wazir, district police officer Sajjad Khan and various police officials from Mardan and Swabi.
Mr Javid was informed that the goal of setting up PTS was to impart advanced technical and professional training to the policemen to effectively counter terrorism.
Those who completed the training belonged to various districts of the province.
On the occasion, Tariq Javid said those who received training would go straight to join their duty at different regions. They have to play their due role in provision of security and foiling those who wanted to spread terror in the society, he added.
Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191377/300-policemen-get-professional-training


Major parties losing confidence of workers in KP


PESHAWAR: Both PPP and PML-N claim to be the largest parties in the country as they have ruled the country several times. But in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both the parties failed to prove their strength during the last two elections.
That’s why they are losing confidence of their workers in the province. On the one hand, these parties are facing internal rifts and on the other the central leaders seem least bothered to pay proper attention to their provincial organisations.

It seems that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is no longer a priority for the central leaders of both the major political parties.
However, as compared to PPP, PML-N has improved its position during the past few years. PPP won 20 seats of provincial assembly in 2008 general elections while PML-N got only seven seats. But in 2013, PML-N increased the number of seats to 16 while PPP’s strength was decreased from 20 to five MPAs only.

---

Both PML-N and PPP fail to prove their strength during the last two elections

---

The May30 local government elections become controversial when almost all political parties and independent candidates expressed reservations and dissatisfaction over the process by describing it the worst rigged polls. That’s why Election Commission of Pakistan announced re-polling in several union councils in the province.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191378/major-parties-losing-confidence-of-workers-in-kp

Sherpao seeks due share in electricity for KP


PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has expressed deep concern over the excessive loadshedding and said despite producing electricity the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are facing worst kind of power cuts.

He said the QWP had decided to start demonstrations against power outages as prolonged outages had brought economic activities in the province to a standstill.

He asked the federal government to take meaningful steps to give relief to the people from prolonged loadshedding.
He was speaking at a ceremony at party’s secretariat Watan Kor here on Monday, where six newly elected representatives of local government belonging to Mansehra and Haripur joined QWP.
Mr Sherpao said the people of KP had been the victims of terrorism for the last over one decade which had disrupted their socio-economic life.
The federal government should mitigate their miseries and announce mega developmental projects for the province to generate unemployment and end poverty.
The QWP chief said KP produced electricity more than its requirements, but its people were made to suffer long hours of power cuts in the sizzling weather.
Mr Sherpao urged the federal government to give KP its due electricity share.
Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191381/sherpao-seeks-due-share-in-electricity-for-kp

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JULY 01 2015


‘Diversion’ of INGO’s funds from KP to Punjab regretted

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party has expressed concern about the ‘diversion’ of funds by Save the Children, an international NGO, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Punjab and said the move was unjust and based on ill-will.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, ANP information secretary and member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Hussain Babak said Save the Children should not abandon Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by diverting its funds to Punjab.

He said there was a need for international support to rebuild terrorism-affected province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), which had so far acted like a frontline state in war on terrorism.

The ANP leader said the province had fought for the peace and security of the entire country and paid a heavy price for it by losing hundreds of lives in bombings and therefore, international NGOs should to continue working for its development.

He said it was shocking to know that the federal government had allowed INGOs to work in Punjab after discouraging them from carrying out projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Babak urged the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in the province to take the matter seriously to ensure corrective measures.

“If PTI wallahs remain silent, the people of the province, who voted them to power to dispense them justice, will never forgive it for this great injustice,” he said.

The ANP leader said in view of the current financial problems of the province and how its funds are diverted in an unjust manner to another province, there should be little doubt that it (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) would also become restless like Balochistan.

He said the federal government should treat all ‘Diversion’ of INGO’s funds from KP to Punjab regretted provinces equally and in a just manner.

In another news release, ANP provincial general secretary Aimal Wali Khan criticised the PTI chairman over failure to ensure resolution of the problems of the province’s health workers long protesting outside Imran Khan’s residence in Islamabad.

He said workers of Expanded Programme of Immunisation and Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation project had been protesting for rights in scorching heat during Ramazan but ironically, the PTI chairman was unmoved.

Aimal Wali regretted the ‘callousness’ of the PTI leadership towards the plight of protesters.

“Instead of giving jobs and creating employment opportunities for youths in the province, the PTI government is not even listening to those who lost jobs and are protesting outside Imran Khan’s mansion in Bani Gala (Islamabad),” he said.

The ANP leader said despite holding protest for the last 18 days, no one from the government or the ruling party had bothered to listen to health workers.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191608/diversion-of-ingos-funds-from-kp-to-punjab-regretted

Plan to facilitate women patients at KP govt hospitals bears no fruit


PESHAWAR: A plan of the government to facilitate checkup of women patients in public sector hospitals, especially in rural areas, has proved an exercise in futility owing to violation of merit in selection of officials for the programme, sources say.
The government had decided to launch a crash programme for introducing female technicians to facilitate medical examination of women patients in public sector hospitals. In this connection, the MMA-led government had passed a bill from the provincial assembly in 2008 seeking to ensure presence of female technicians in the hospitals.
The law was passed after reports surfaced that male technicians were performing ECG and other examinations of female patients which was against the local culture as women were hesitant to be examined by a male doctor. The project was launched by the health department in 2009 to cope with the shortage of lady doctors and ensure presence of women technicians at the time of conduct of ultrasound and ECG etc of women patients.
For this purpose, the health department launched training programme in four districts including Mardan, Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan and Abbottabad.

---

Sources allege violation of merit in selection of female technicians

---

Sources told Dawn that 270 women were trained in two batches of 2009 and 2010 from each of the designated districts and they were posted there.
However, the doctors say that the women technicians are of no use for the patients as they lack the required knowledge and skills. They are not involved in patients’ healthcare, they add.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191621/pl...-patients-at-kp-govt-hospitals-bears-no-fruit


‘Oil refinery right of Karak people’


KARAK: Adviser to the chief minister on prisons Malik Qasim Khan Khattak has claimed that oil refinery would be established in Karak as the district produced 75 per cent of oil and gas in the Kohat division.
He was addressing a delegation of elders of his constituency here on Tuesday. He said provision of funds for construction of Takht-i-Nusrati-Mianwali road was his priority.
The lawmaker claimed that PTI chief Imran Khan had directed the chief minister to provide funds for mega projects in Karak. He expressed the hope that the provincial government would take solid steps to materialise the important projects for the district.
Mr Khattak said he had initiated work on a water supply scheme from Lawagher dam on gravity line at a cost of Rs380 million. He said work on Koh-i-Maidan road had also been initiated with Rs200 million, which will link people of remote areas with the district headquarters. He said the road would help in exploitation of coal mines and other minerals located in Kurd Sharif, Showanki and Koh-i-Maidan areas, creating employment and generating revenue.
He said several public welfare projects had been launched in his constituency with the funds of oil and gas royalty.
The adviser said the oil refinery would also provide employment opportunities to the local educated youths.
Mr Khattak asked the people to ensure peaceful environment for the oil and gas exploration companies to carry out their activities.
Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191607/oil-refinery-right-of-karak-people



No sign of ‘education emergency’ in Nehag Dara

UPPER DIR: Although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has declared ‘education emergency’ in the province, yet the authorities seem least bothered to improve situation of educational institutions in Nehag Dara area of Upper Dir.
The government schools, both for boys and girls, in Nehag Dara face shortage of almost all required facilities.
The students of a primary school for girls in Kandaro locality of Nehag Dara get education in a two-room building. There are only two teachers for over 150 students of six classes. The classrooms are in a dilapidated condition and the students of four classes have to sit under the open sky.
The students said that there was shortage of teachers in their school. The students of four classes sit idle when the teachers teach two classes in the school.
The students said that they could not attend school during rain owing to shortage of classrooms.
The headmistress of the school said that they faced burden of work as there were only two teachers for six classes. She said that they could not complete courses of all the classes in an academic year. She added that they did try their best but it was impossible to teach to six classes at a time.

---

Students and teachers complain of shortage of required facilities in the area schools

---

“There are no sitting arrangements for students of six classes in the two rooms during rain as well as snowfall. So, students of two or three classes are sent home,” the teacher said. She added that teachers and students could not use the washroom as there was no arrangement for provision of water to the school.
For the girl students of more than 30 villages of three union councils in Nehag Dara, there is a single middle and one high school. The girl students have to walk for hours on dangerous mountainous routs to reach the school.
Wali Mohammad, a resident of Jaagam, said that students from Karbadi, Bandai, Kandaro, Karpat, Nahag and other areas had to cover a distance of 12 to 16 kilometres on foot to reach their school.
Zainab, a student of 7th grade, said that she reached the school after walking for almost two and a half hours from her home. She said that it was difficult for her to learn her lessons properly after covering such a long distance on foot as she was tired.
“Some time I sleep during the class due to tiredness, however, my teachers understand my problems,” said Zainab. She added that she wanted to get higher education but it was difficult in the present circumstances.
Another student said that provincial government had declared ‘education emergency’ in the province but situation of educational institutions in Nehag Dara was worsening instead of getting improved.
Anwarzeb, a local leader of the ruling PTI, said that most of the parents were poor and could not afford to hire vehicles to pick and drop their daughters.
The local elders demanded of the government to appoint sufficient number of teachers in the existing schools and establish new schools in Nehag Dara to secure future of their children.
Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191617/no-sign-of-education-emergency-in-nehag-dara

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JULY 02 2015

Swat’s rock carvings in bad shape

MINGORA: Surrounded by peaceful yet mysterious blackish mountains, the lush green Arab Khan Cheena valley in Swat is known for possessing relics of Gandhara civilisation.
The valley located at the end of Batkara Road in the suburbs of Mingora was once a flourishing Buddhist area.
Noted among the relics are rock carved statues and stupas, which conjure up the glorious past of the kingdom of Uddiyana, ancient name of Swat.
Besides taking fascinating traditional route, visitors can also go there via Panr and Dangram villages.
The site is in bad shape due to the neglect of authorities and lack of public awareness.

---

Visitors lament lack of proper information about Arab Khan Cheena valley

---

According to archaeologists, the site was first discovered by Aurel Stein. It was documented by Giuseppe Tucci in 1955 and 1956, studied by Domenico Faccenna, Pierfrancesco Callieri, Luca M Olivieri and Anna Filigenzi. Lastly, the site was visited by Badshah Sardar.
“With six stupas and eight rock carvings, the area offers a unique environment to understand the 7th century Buddhist context, which, despite being widely narrated by a deluge of rock carvings,” said Dr Luca Maria Olivieri, head of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan.
He, however, lamented lack of proper archaeological information about the site.
On high ground near a spring are eight rock carvings.
Slightly upstream from the ‘relief zone’ near the ridge of the Sharara range stand the ruins of six stupas.
“It’s lovely to see this small valley near Mingora. It is beautiful and historical. If you stand in the middle of the area, you will find many rocks, small and big engravings,” said Shaista Hakeem, a local tourist.
The site is rarely visited by tourists, who find it one of the best archaeological places in Swat.
“I got happy and sad at the same time when I saw the Buddhist carvings in Arab Khan Cheena. I was angry at the neglect of the authorities and happy to know about the area’s glorious past,” said Shehla Anjum, a Pakistani American writer, who lives in Alasaka.
The writer, who has a special affinity for Swat and visited it several times, said old carvings, many of them on big rocks, were tumbling down and thus, slowly disappearing.
She also regretted people had grown crops on the archeological site. “A few rock faces have visible carvings, but deteriorating from the ravages of weather as well as neglect. I looked in disbelief at a rock statue of Buddha, which was weathered and forlorn. Ironically, there was animal dung at its base,” she said.
A farmer has a rock carving in his compound.
He said he was poor and couldn’t do much except for warding off vandals.
Unfortunately, the area is being converted into a residential area amid fears the archeological site will be encroached upon in future.
“I do not know why the government and relevant departments are not taking interest in the site’s preservation. I fear these relics will soon disappear erasing an important chapter of history,” said Usman Ulasyar, chairman of Suvastu Arts and Culture Association, Swat.
When contacted, curator of Swat museum and in charge of the Swat archaeological sites Faizur Rehman said currently, the provincial government was in the process of acquiring land of 12 other archaeological sites in Swat.
“Once we complete the land acquiring exercise, work to preserve Arab Khan Cheena site will begin,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191833/swats-rock-carvings-in-bad-shape


PHC sets aside convictions in arms smuggling case


PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday set aside the conviction of three people by an anti-terrorism court in an arms smuggling case and ordered their fresh trial by a regular court.
The development came as a bench comprising Justice Qaisar Rasheed and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani partially accepted a joint criminal appeal of Wajid Khan, Atif and Ghulam Mohammad against their conviction.
The bench also ordered the release of the three on bail.
The police had arrested the three in Bhadabher area on April 3, 2014 claiming seizure of 24 rifles, 45 pistols, four Kalashnikovs and 50,000 cartridges from their vehicle.

---

Orders fresh trial of three convicts by regular court

---

They insisted the arms seized were being smuggled to Punjab for terrorism.
The arrested men were charged under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and sections 15 and 17 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Arms Act 2013.
Mian Abdul Fayyaz, lawyer for the appellants, said his clients were simultaneously charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Arms Act.
He said smuggling of weapons was not a scheduled offence under the ATA and the prosecution had erred in referring the case to an anti-terrorism court.
The lawyer said it was a simple case under the Arms Act, which had to be tried by a magistrate and not by an anti-terrorism court.
He added that his clients had raised the point before the trial court but the judge didn’t accept it.
BAIL GRANTED: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday granted bail to Charssada district general secretary of JUI-F Mufti Gohar Ali Shah and his three associates in a murder case.
The accused face the charge of killing a person and injuring a policeman by firing during the May 30 local body elections.
The Charssada police claimed Mufti Gohar Shah and his three associates, Wajid, Taj Mohammad and Hazrat Gul, were involved in firing at a polling station, which claimed a life and injured a policeman in Sherpao village.
Mohammad Essa Khan, lawyer for applicants, told judge Abdur Rauf Khan that their clients were falsely implicated in the case as the deceased belonged to their party.
He said instead of arresting the real culprits, the police had held innocent people.
Essa Khan said his clients were taken into custody by security forces and remained in illegal detention for 26 days.
He said his clients were later handed over to the police, which falsely implicated them in the murder case.
Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191840/phc-sets-aside-convictions-in-arms-smuggling-case


KP seems unable to enforce health reform law

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government seems unable to implement the Health Reforms Act to do away with the “rotten” health delivery system in teaching hospitals because the old administrators want to maintain status quo, according to sources.
The government has appointed medical and hospital directors on interim basis in four teaching hospitals of the province to enforce the law as stopgap arrangement till recruitment of permanent officials on these posts.
Four professors have been appointed as acting medical directors, who have taken numerous steps to work on clinical side and improve patients’ care, but the health officials already working there as medical superintendent, deputy medical superintendents or resident medical officers have also been allowed to continue their work as hospital directors.
Sources say that it means the government seeks complete overhaul of the existing health delivery system in public sector hospitals. However, they say that hope for any positive change in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar and Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad in the presence of old administrators is misplaced.

---

The old administrators of teaching hospitals want to maintain status quo

---

Being associated with the old system, they don’t want to make any change happen, they say. The hospitals are still run by those people, who did so before the new law was put in practice, they add.
Sources say that unwillingness on the part of these administrators has hampered the implementation of major decisions, especially about employees’ option regarding becoming institutional employee or staying as civil servant. A simple matter has become complicated as the interim administrators, who were part and parcel of the old system, don’t want and change, they add.
The snail’s pace approach to implement the law could face failure. Except LRH, all the teaching hospitals are yet to advertise posts of medical and hospital directors.
There is less coordination among the members of the Board of Governors and the administrators of the respective hospitals. Each of the hospitals has a 10-member Board of Governors, which is supposed to run the respective institution through hospital and medical directors.
The government’s inability to hire fresh officials to launch the new system has been creating suspicion among the employees, who are under misconception that their services are being made private. The government has asked the civil servants of these hospitals to become institutional employees of their respective hospitals as part of the policy of change.
There is unrest among the employees, including paramedics, nurses and Class-IV staff. The new system is aimed at granting financial and administrative autonomy to the hospitals with enhanced benefits to the workers.
However, rumours are doing rounds these days that the hospitals are being sold to private contractors.
The existing administrators want to stick with the old system. They don’t explain to the employees about their privileges in the new system but rather instigate the low-ranked employees against the system, sources say.
The employees are yet to be told categorically that they will work in competitive environments with more opportunities of academic and professional development.
There is no one to explain the government’s position to the employees and win their support to be able to make it run.
Some 4,500 employees of KTH, LRH and HMC who happened to be civil servants are required to become institutional employees. In KTH, about 70 health workers have already opted in its favour but there are no efforts by administration to perform the task.
Instead of convincing employees to opt for it, there are deliberate attempts to spread rumours about the new system and ask the employees to stay away from giving option in favour of institutions.
The matter is very simple as 50 per cent of the staffers of these hospitals are employees of the institutions. All employees of ATH, Abbottabad belong to institution since its establishment in 1979. It means there is no harm in giving up status of the civil servants and switching over to the institutions.
In LRH and HMC, the employees are yet to be formally approached by administrators to get their consent because no one represents the government.
Much of the crisis prevails in LRH these days.
The chairman of BoG of LRH is abroad. But the chairpersons of HMC and KTH BoGs live in Peshawar and Lahore who remain in touch with medical directors via telephone and emails etc. But the first step before launching the system is the employees’ support, which cannot be fulfilled in interim setup.
The employees are preparing to start series of strikes against the decision.
Recently, LRH hospital director was removed. He was restored by court but how a person can be expected to toe the government’s line when he is on collision path with health department, sources say.
Sources say that as soon as the permanent hospital directors are appointed the present lot will go, then why they should be willing to allow the new system to operate which will deprive them of their jobs?
However, interim medical directors, who are medical professors, have helped the government in transitional phase of the new system by introducing new measures in line with the government’s agenda. These professors are not interested to be posted as permanent medical directors, therefore, they have acted professionally.
Sources say that the government needs to appoint fresh people on these posts.
The administrators, who are supposed to implement the new system, are part and parcel of the old system and a change will mean slipping away of their powers.
Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1191837/kp-seems-unable-to-enforce-health-reform-law

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JULY 03 2015


Terrorism incidents drop by 64pc in KP: SAW report

PESHAWAR: Incidents of terrorism across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have dropped by 64 per cent during the first quarter of ongoing year compared to the corresponding period of last year, reveals KP Militancy Report 2015, compiled by the Strategy and Analysis Wing of provincial home department.

The report for the first quarter of 2015 – January to March – shows a considerable improvement in terrorism and general crime situation. It said that targeted killings have dropped by 47 per cent, robberies by 3 per cent, kidnapping by 41 per cent and car snatching by 12 per cent. It claimed that extortion cases had come down by a whopping 77 per cent.

The Peshawar district, however, remains on top of terrorism, murder and kidnapping incidents and targeted killings, the document noted.

Mapping the real situation, it notes that 293 terrorism incidents took place during the first quarter of 2014, while the number dropped to 107 during the current year. Similarly, targeted killings dropped to 24 from 45, robberies to 32 from 33, kidnapping cases from 54 to 32, car snatching to 14 from 16, extortion to 13 from 81, the report says.

---

Targeted killings drop by 47pc in first quarter of 2015 compared to 2014

---

The number of suicide attacks has come down by 83 per cent, roadside bombings dropped by 79 per cent, mortar attacks by 80 per cent, firing by 25 per cent and hand grenade attacks by 66 per cent.

However, the ratio of murders remained the same for the period under review of both the years. Also, significant improvement was noted in case of civilian and law enforcement agencies’ casualties that have dropped by 81 and 77 per cent, respectively. The LEAs casualties dropped to 46 from 197 a year ago, while civilian casualties dropped from 544 to 103 during the period under review.

The report, however, said that the number of light arms’ attacks and targeted killings is on the rise, while IEDs, suicide attacks and hand grenade incidents have shown downward trend.

The report notes that since Sept 2014 a constant downward trend was visible which reflected success of the ongoing operations in the tribal regions and settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The breakdown of crime data at divisional level across the province shows that the number of terrorism incidents dropped to 44 from 136 a year ago in Peshawar, nine from 20 in Mardan, nine from 36 in Kohat, seven from eight in Hazara, 21 from 46 in Dera Ismail Khan and eight from 38 in Bannu. However, the number of such incidents remained the same at nine in Malakand.

The analysis shows that Peshawar, Bannu and Kohat divisions have shown improved outlook, while the situation in Dera Ismail Khan seems to be deteriorating.

Comparison of the incidents of targeted killings in divisions shows the figures for seven divisions dropped to 24 from 45 a year ago, while kidnapping cases dropped to 32 from 54. However, the number of murders comes down to 180 from 181.

DISTRICT SCENARIO: Peshawar was the hotspot district and witnessed 34 terrorism incidents during first quarter of 2015, followed by Dera and Bannu with 16 and eight incidents, respectively. Peshawar district is also on top with seven incidents of targeted killing, followed by Dera and Mansehra with six and four incidents, respectively.
Peshawar stood at the top of kidnapping hotspot districts with six incidents during the period followed by Nowshera and Charsadda with four incidents each. Nowshera topped robbery hotspot districts with 10 robbery cases, while Mardan followed with six and Peshawar with four.
Peshawar topped the murder hotspot districts with 43 murders during the first quarter of the year, while Mardan and Charsadda trailed behind with 21 and 18 murders during the same period.
Comparison of LEAs’ achievements shows that 209 militants were arrested during first quarter of 2015 compared to 60 a year ago, 58 IED attacks foiled against 79 last year, 57 arms recovered against 45 last year, 16 criminals killed against 15, 27 drug recoveries against 16 last year and 10 abduction recoveries compared to 12 a year ago.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192048/terrorism-incidents-drop-by-64pc-in-kp-saw-report


KP health dept to set up regional drug testing labs

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department is establishing three regional drug testing laboratories at a cost of Rs300 million to ensure provision of quality medicines to the patients.
The new laboratories will be established in Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad and Swat, and funds for this purpose have been allocated in the provincial budget for fiscal year 2015-16. They will operate under the Peshawar-based provincial drug testing laboratory (DTL), which is presently undergoing upgradation process.
“We have got high-tech equipment to analyse drugs rapidly and accurately and ensure that patients get genuine medicines,” Khalid Khan, head of the provincial DTL, told Dawn.
Know more: Launch of KP’s first DNA lab facing delay
About 40 drug inspectors of the health department collect samples of suspicious drugs from the market and sent the same for analysis to DTL. Every month, the DTL receives about 500 samples from the province and 5-10 per cent of them are found to be fake or spurious.

---

We will ensure that patients get genuine medicines, says senior official

---

Mr Khan said that the three regional DTLs would ensure availability of genuine drugs locally, while the provincial DTL would assist these new laboratories.
Established in 1989, the provincial DTL had been coping with the problems of drugs’ quality with old equipment and machines, but wasn’t able to work to a desired level owing to the advancement of those manufacturing fake drugs.
Sources said that sometimes it wasn’t possible to analyse the unknown drugs being pumped into the market because of the unavailability of the latest machines.
“The upgradation of DTL at a cost of Rs50 million will enable us to put in place good laboratory practices and analyse the ingredients of not only allopathic, but also homeopathic, inorganic materials, unani and herbal drugs,” Mr Khan said.
He said that a new atomic absorption section was being established to analyse vitamins, inorganic salts and quantification of herbal drugs.
The DTL head said that previously the results weren’t more accurate and the method was time-consuming, but now the installation of high performance liquid chromatography machine had made it possible to give quick and correct results of all medicines.
He said that an automatic machine imported from Germany was portable and any drug could be tested anywhere in the province. “Even from the tiniest samples the equipment can draw results in shortest possible time,” he claimed.
Strengthening of microbiology lab is also part of the upgradation programme, which will enable the staff to test the bio-activity of drugs. “For example, we can see the action of interferon injection on hepatitis virus to see if the drugs are effective,” he said.
This will ultimately lead to increase in the conviction rate and the people will find genuine medicines, he said.
DTL has presently six pharmacists who cover the whole province. The DTL’s head says that he has requested the government to fill the vacant posts as part of efforts to upgrade facilities. The recruitment of seven experts, including the pharmacist, biochemist and microbiologist, will not only ensure more accuracy in the results, but would lead to fast-tracking of the procedures of drug analysis.
Capacity-building of staff to work on new equipment and machines have been completed, he said, recalling that the upgradation of DTL was ordered by the chief minister six months ago.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192042/kp-health-dept-to-set-up-regional-drug-testing-labs

Three arrested for printing IS pamphlets

PESHAWAR: Peshawar police have arrested three persons for allegedly possessing and printing pamphlets supporting the self-styled Islamic State.
Police officials said on Thursday that the arrests were made from the Shamshatu Bazaar area in the limits of Urmur police station on the outskirts of the city. They said that two of those arrested were Afghan nationals and one belonged to Mohmand Agency.
According to the FIR, following a tip-off about printing of the pamphlets in Shamshtu Bazaar the police raided the shop and arrested three persons identified as Asmatullah, an Afghan currently residing in Shamshatu refugee camp; Abdur Rehman, another Afghan currently a resident of Naway Kallay, Bara Road; and Gul Khan of Mohmand Agency currently living near Budhni Pul, Charsadda Road, Peshawar.
The officials claimed to have recovered two laptops and two CPUs from the facility that contained pro-militant and anti-Pakistan material from the raided premises. Police have registered a case under Section 124-A of Pakistan Panel Code and 11 ATA.
A senior police official requesting anonymity told Dawn that the arrests were made a day before by an intelligence agency. The Shamshatu refugee camp is located about 25 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192052/three-arrested-for-printing-is-pamphlets


Ex-minister gets bail in corruption case

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday granted bail to four suspects, including former provincial minister Liaquat Shabab, arrested by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission for corruption, over a lacuna in the law.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Mrs Irshad Qaisar issued interim orders of granting bail to the suspects during the hearing into respective petitions against their arrest by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC).
The suspects include provincial information secretary of PPP Liaquat Shabab; chief coordinating officer of Kohat District Council Noor Daraz Khattak, who is also father of PTI MPA Gul Sahab Khattak; additional secretary of finance department Imtiaz Ayub, who is a former director of social welfare directorate, and gardawar Mohammad Daud.
The bench granted bail to the suspects due to a major lacuna in the KPEC Act 2014 as law doesn’t have any provision for sending suspect on judicial remand or applying the Code of Criminal Procedure to it.
The bench directed Liaquat Shabab to submit two surety bonds of Rs2 million.
Similarly, Noor Daraz was ordered to submit two surety bonds of Rs4 million, whereas rest of the two suspects were ordered to furnish two surety bonds each of Rs1 million.
Lawyers for petitioners said in the KPEC Act 2014, a provision was available for remanding a suspect to the custody of the commission by the court but there was no provision for remanding the suspect to judicial custody after physical remand.
They said under Section 38 of the Act, a suspect could be remanded into custody of the commission up to 45 days but not exceeding 15 days at a time.
However, no provision was given for sending the suspect to judicial lock-up or prison after completion of physical remand.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192049/ex-minister-gets-bail-in-corruption-case

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

JULY 04 2015

PHC stays local government re-polling at last minute

PESHAWAR: Suspending a notification of the Election Commission of Pakistan, the Peshawar High Court stayed the local government re-polling at 356 polling stations in 14 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, just two days before the electoral exercise was slated to happen.
A bench comprising Justice Mrs Irshad Qaisar and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan directed the ECP to file response within a week to around a dozen petitions filed by candidates against the re-polling on different grounds.
The bench observed that the ECP’s June 25 notification through which the re-polling was ordered will remain suspended till July 14, the next date of hearing fixed by the court.
Through the impugned notification, the ECP had ordered fresh polling at polling stations on those categories of seats in village and neighbourhood council, tehsil and town council and district council of the province where polling was stopped and interrupted due to snatching of ballot boxes and ballot papers, entrance of miscreants and other reasons when local government elections were held across the province on May 30.

---

Asks Election Commission to respond to petitions against July 5 voting

---

The largest number of polling stations where fresh polling was ordered in Nowshera district, the home town of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, as re-poll has to be held in 87 stations. Details of polling stations in other districts include: 30 stations in Peshawar, 45 in Charssada, 42 in Mardan, 17 in Swabi, 70 in Karak, 28 in Bannu, eight each in Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan, seven in Abbottabad, five each in Mansehra and Kohat, three in Hangu and one in Buner.
A representative of the ECP requested the bench not to suspend the notification as preparations had already been completed and election material sent to the respective districts.
There are two major categories of petitioners: one of the categories includes those who claim that notifications were issued regarding their success in the polls and later on re-polling was ordered in certain polling stations in their respective wards, while the other includes those contesting candidates who want that the re-polling should be held after the month of Ramazan.
Several lawyers appeared for the petitioners including Aamir Jawed, Amjid Ali, Arshid Jamal Qureshi, Naveed Akhter, Khusdil Khan, Qazi Zakiduddin, Sahibzada Riazatul Haq, Moazam Butt etc.
The lawyers contended that a bench of the high court headed by Justice Ikramullah Khan at DI Khan Circuit Bench had already suspended the impugned notification on Jun 30, but despite that the ECP went ahead with holding the fresh polling as per schedule on Jul 5. They also produced a copy of the order of the said bench.
The lawyers for petitioners said once the ECP issued notification declaring their clients winners from their respective wards, it had no powers to order re-polling in any polling station in those wards.
They said under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, the ECP had no authority to order fresh polling at a polling station.
The counsels stated that while the concerned presiding officers had categorically denied that no disturbance had taken place in those polling stations the concerned DROs, who were the deputy commissioners, were under pressure from the government and they had recommended to the ECP to hold fresh polling there.
Contesting candidates of different political parties for Nowshera Tehsil council from Ward 30, Misri Banda area, including Aftab Ali Khan and others, have filed joint petition requesting to hold the re-polling after month of Ramazan. Their counsel, Arshad Qureshi, contended that because of Ramazan, voters won’t be able to cast vote.
One of the petitions is filed by PTI MPA Zahid Durrani, who has requested the court to declare the May 30 local government elections void on account of massive rigging and mismanagement and to order fresh elections.
Durrani has also requested the court that as interim relief the newly elected councilors may be restrained from taking oaths and the elections of nazimeen and naib-nazimeen of districts and tehsils councils may also be stopped. However, that plea has so far not been heard by the court.
Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192290/phc-stays-local-government-re-polling-at-last-minute
Doctors reject health reforms as anti-poor

PESHAWAR: The doctors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have rejected the Health Act 2015 and claimed that the current health reform process is against the interests of poor patients and health workers.
Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday, Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) president Dr Aamir Taj, joint secretary Dr Alamzeb and LHR unit president Dr Rizwan said that doctors were not against the reforms, but the new legislation would multiply hardships of the employees.
They said that the government was attempting to take the hospitals towards privatisation, which was a conspiracy against the poor patients who would be unable to get medical treatment.
They said that the reforms were needed for the welfare of poor patients, but the legislation would lead to increase in miseries of people.
The doctors said that the stakeholders were ignored in the process of legislation and reforms. They said that the government had been trying to apply a unilateral policy, but doctors would not accept it.
They said that they expected that the government would take some drastic steps in consultation with the stakeholders to bring a positive change in the fate of poor and for welfare of the employees of health department, but the ‘so-called’ reforms badly disappointed them. They said that the government failed to live up to its claim to take revolutionary steps for the welfare of poor people.
They demanded of PTI chief Imran Khan to take notice of the situation because such reforms would worsen the situation of health department. — Bureau Report
Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192289/doctors-reject-health-reforms-as-anti-poor


Over 70 NCP vehicles seized in Landi Kotal


LANDI KOTAL: In a major crackdown, the Khyber Rifles seized over 70 non-customs paid vehicles in Landi Kotal from Monday to Friday.
Officials in the know said the Khyber Rifles neither issued warnings to transporters before the crackdown nor took the political administration into confidence on it.
The Khyber Rifles personnel made the seizure during random checking of motorists at their checkposts.
The officials said the authorities had also asked Swat Scouts in Jamrud and Mehsud Scouts in Bara to carry out such crackdown in their respective areas.
Though the exact number of NCP vehicles in Khyber Agency is not known, officials said temporary route permits had been issued to around 600 such vehicles 12 years ago.

---

Khyber Rifles made seizure during checking at checkposts

---

They said since 2003, no such crackdown had been conducted in the region.
The federal government announced amnesty scheme under which thousands of such vehicles were given valid registration documents on payment of reduced customs duty.
The officials said a good number of NCP vehicles were used by administration and khasadar officials, pro-government tribal elders and common men.
They said NCP vehicles included those smuggled from Afghanistan, cars stolen in different parts of the country, and automobiles bought under various bank schemes but their owners defaulted on payment of its price.
The officials said illegal business of NCP vehicles was thriving in Bazaar Zakhakhel area, where smugglers brought such vehicles from Afghanistan via Tsub Kandaw area before they were taken to bargain centres in Wazir Dhand market in Jamrud via Lala Kandaw and Ziyarhai routes.
They said in both Lala Kandaw and Ziyarhai, Khyber Rifles had joint checkposts with khasadar and levies personnel where they receive from Rs30,000 to Rs35,000 per NCP vehicle for its onward transportation to Jamrud.
The officials said smugglers also used Loe Shalman-Malagori Road to reach Wazir Dhand Market in Jamrud from where such vehicles were taken to other parts of the country.
They said the political administration had recommended many times the issuance of temporary registrations to such vehicles to earn additional revenue and keep a record of such vehicles.
The officials said security officials insisted such vehicles were used in many terrorist activities.
“On one hand, security forces have been demanding ban on such vehicles but on the other, they have turned a blind eye to its illegal trade through checkposts manned by them,” an official of the administration said.
Another official said thousands of such vehicles were allowed to be on the roads not only in other parts of Fata but also in the entire Malakand division.
On Thursday, a jirga of local elders and transporters met the Khyber Rifles commandant and asked him about the reason for crackdown on NCP vehicles.
A source said the commandant told visitors that his force was acting on the orders issued by ‘high-ups’, so he couldn’t suspend crackdown.
He said the visitors were told that NCP vehicles used by khasadar officials and government officials would be exempted from the crackdown.
Meanwhile, a group of local transporters warned they would agitate if seized vehicles were not returned to them.
Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192281/over-70-ncp-vehicles-seized-in-landi-kotal


IT park workers without salary for five months


KOHAT: Deputy commissioner, Kohat, Kamran Afridi has turned down recommendations for payment of salaries to employees of the IT park, claiming that the project is yet to be approved.
Addressing a press conference at his office the other day, he said that in the light of inquiry by SDO of communication and works department substandard work on causeways and link roads had also been stopped and new tenders would be floated for their construction.
The deputy commissioner claimed that MPA Ziaullah Bangash had prepared an illegal committee of IT park and himself become its chairman. He said that during an inquiry serious irregularities and corruption was unearthed in the project after which the work on the park had been stopped.
He said that the secretary IT, Peshawar, had said that the Kohat IT park was not duly approved and work on it would be started after its registration accordance with the policy by fulfilling all requirements like PC-1 etc.

---

Kohat DC claims park project yet to be approved

---

He said that the work had also been stopped on the unapproved recycling plant being constructed on 46 kanals property of MPA Bangash in his hometown of Mohammadzai.
When contacted, Mr Bangash, who is also the chairman of the district development advisory committee, said that the recycling plant project and place for dumping garbage in his hometown was properly approved. He said that a go-ahead for the project was given by former deputy commissioner and district committee for acquiring land. He said that if the plant was illegal why the deputy commissioner issued Rs4 million to its contractor three days ago.
He said that the IT park had been approved by the chief minister and on the occasion of its inauguration PTI chairman Imran Khan had delivered a telephonic speech and applauded his efforts. Only seven employees work in the IT park and their salary has been stopped for last five months.
The MPA said that the deputy commissioner wanted that the IT park workers should sit in his office and do the composing work. He said that the job of the IT park workers was not composing, but they had to develop software.
He said that three employees of the IT park had developed guest verification software for police, and computerided the record of the TMA and KDA hospital.
The deputy commissioner also said in his press conference that Kohat district had received Rs160 million from the allocated fund of Rs1 billion for beautification, but it was not being used by the public representatives
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192286/it-park-workers-without-salary-for-five-months

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN July 05 2015

CM, Imran inaugurate work on 40.8MW hydel power project

TIMERGARA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan inaugurated work on the Koto Hydropower Project on Panjkora river here on Saturday. The project would be constructed at a cost of Rs14.77 billion.
The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation’s (Pedo) chief executive officer briefed the CM and PTI chief about the project on their arrival at the site. He said the Koto Hydropower Project would generate 40.8 megawatt of electricity produced by water flow of the Panjkora river. He said that the project, to be completed by Jan 2019, would cost Rs14.77 billion.

Provincial ministers Muzaffar Syed and Atif Khan, and PTI Lower Dir president Fakhruz Zaman also spoke on the occasion. DIG Malakand Azad Khan, JI’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Sahibzada Tariqullah, DDAC Lower Dir chairman Saeed Gul, Upper Dir chairman Malik Behram Khan and other government officials were also present on the occasion besides the PTI and JI workers.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the project, PTI chief Imran Khan said that it was a great occasion of pleasure that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was going to produce electricity from water. He said that the country had been generating costly electricity through imported fuel.

---

PTI chief says centre providing 400 MW less electricity to KP

---

He said that the rivers in Malakand division had the potential to generate a total of 4,000 MW of electricity. He said that people of the area would be getting uninterrupted power supply at Rs4 per unit on completion of the project.

“Power shortage is the biggest problem being faced by the people of Pakistan,” Mr Khan said, adding that the federal government had been spending money on other projects like metro bus service and motorways.

The PTI chief said that the centre had been providing 300 to 400 MW less power to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

About the local government elections in the province, he said that it was the real revolution through which people of the rural areas would be empowered. Warning the doctors’ community, he said that they should avoid boycotting their official duties otherwise the government would expel them from service.

The chief minister also told the gathering that rivers in parts of the province could produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity, but the federal government had not been providing funds for generation of electricity from water sources.

He said that the electricity from Koto Hydropower Project would assist in meeting power demand of the country. He said that the project would also generate revenue of Rs1.9 billion annually.

The chief minister said that Sharmai hydropower project would generate 45 MW of electricity and the project would cost Rs36 billion. Similarly, the Barikot Patrak hydropower project, Patrak Sharingal project and Shago Kas hydropower project would generate a total of 169 MW of electricity and they would cost Rs55 billion.
Mr Khattak said that the government was all set to transfer powers to the newly-elected local government representatives. He said that 30 per cent of the development budget had been set aside for local governments in the province.
About improvement in the education and health sectors, the chief minister said that duties of officials were being monitored through independent monitors. He said that the schools and hospitals would produce good results in the near future.
Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192439/cm-imran-inaugurate-work-on-408mw-hydel-power-project




New criteria for VC posts cuts number of candidates

PESHAWAR: The number of applicants for the posts of vice-chancellor in public sector universities has reduced by around 75 per cent since the provincial government incorporated the new criteria for the coveted position in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act-2012 a couple of months ago, according to sources.
This came to fore after the government advertised the posts of VCs of Hazara University, Mansehra, and Kohat University of Science and Technology recently, they said.
The sources said that only 100 candidates had applied for the two positions, while prior to incorporating the criteria the number of applicants for such posts was much higher. They said that in some instances the number of applicants for a single post would cross the figure of 200.
Prior to major amendments in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act-2012 only a few lines were mentioned in the law about the VC’s qualification which states “There shall be a vice-chancellor of the university who shall be an eminent academician, a distinguished administrator or a former public office-holder and shall be appointed on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed”. Rest of the criteria for the VC’s appointment was framed from time to time by the government, but never made part of the law, the sources said...CONTINUED
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192440/new-criteria-for-vc-posts-cuts-number-of-candidates


QWP to rejoin KP govt after Eid


PESHAWAR: After finalising most of the power-sharing terms with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, the Qaumi Watan Party is likely to join the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government after Eidul Fitr.
However, it is yet to be decided if QWP’s former minister Bakht Baidar Khan will withdraw his damages suit against PTI chief Imran Khan.
The case is being heard by a Peshawar court.
“It is my personal case because Imran Khan had falsely accused me of being involved in corruption and therefore, I exercised my legal right to sue him in the court of law,” Bakht Baidar told Dawn on Saturday.
The MPA said he was a member of the QWP and was supposed to abide by the party decisions but hitherto, no one had spoken to him on the matter.
“I have been in my village for many days, so I’m unaware of new political developments (in Peshawar). Though my damages suit is before the court for decision, everything is possible in the larger interest of the province and its people,” he said.
Bakht Baidar said personally speaking, he didn’t favour the presence of the Jamaat-i-Islami in the government.
A QWP source said the agreement had been finalised and the party would join the provincial government within a week.
“Several meetings have taken place over the last few weeks. PTI leaders have always responded very positively,” he said.
The source said the QWP eyed the office of the provincial assembly’s deputy speaker, and portfolios of senior minister and energy and power.
He said keeping the past experience in mind, the QWP leadership was quite careful about taking decisions on the basis of written agreements so that the alliance remain intact in future.
“Both PTI and QWP want to have sustainable alliance against the opposition’s tripartite alliance in the province,” he said.
Though portfolios for the coming QWP ministers have yet to be finalised, the source said it was not an issue at all to cause delay in the party rejoining the ruling coalition.
The QWP has already empowered its central chairman, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, to decide about the matter in the larger interests of the party and people of the province.
QWP parliamentary leader Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao couldn’t be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.
When contacted, former minister Shaukat Yousafzai, who is the PTI’s provincial information secretary, said his party and QWP respected each other and that the latter would again be part of the ruling coalition soon.
When asked if Jamaat-i-Islami or Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan ministers would feel uneasy after the re-entry of the QWP to the government, he said the development would make no difference for the two partners of the ruling coalition.
About differences between JI and PTI leaders over the recent local government elections, Yousafzai said the PTI had not taken any notice of the JI statements as those commenting on the matter from Jamaat were not part of the government and that individually, everyone had the right to express views.
He said the JI and the AJI were the PTI partners in the province and that they too had welcomed the QWP rejoining the government.
“The QWP has set no condition for rejoining the government. The issues pertaining to portfolios are very minor and can be resolved anytime because both parties eagerly want to work together,” he said.
The PTI leader said portfolios were not a matter of ego for the PTI and that the QWP would certainly rejoin the government after Eidul Fitr.
Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2015
[url]http://www.dawn.com/news/1192444/qwp-to-rejoin-kp-govt-after-eid[/URL]

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JULY 06 2015

Peshawar walled city a picture of neglect

PESHAWAR: According to experts, around 50 heritage sites in and around Peshawar city have been lost owing to lack of public awareness and official negligence and philistinism over the last one and a half decade.

The Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN), a non-for-profit organisation, was founded in 2001 to raise awareness among people regarding importance of heritage sites, environment and culture.
Kotla Mohsin Khan is a historic ‘gate’ located on Kohat Road towards south-west of Peshawar city. Kotla means a small fortified residence. According to one legend, it was founded over a high mound in second half of 16th century by the noted Mughal Mansabdar Arbab Mustajab Khan Momand in the presence of two renowned spiritual figures -- Hazrat Kaka Sahib Rahmkar and Akhund Dirwaiza Baba.
Originally it was spread over 10 hectares of land. It is a three-storey structure. The second floor comprises small rooms and a compound while its third floor contains security posts along with two rooms.
Arbab Mustajab used to settle tribal disputes especially of Ghori Khel tribes living around Peshawar city while sitting in this fortified residence. Later, the residence was renamed after Arbab Mohsin Khan Momand, one of the Mustajab’s descendants.
Another legend says when Mughal King Aurangzeb Alamgir arrested Khushhal Khan Khattak, Arbab Mustajab Khan secured his release and kept him as guest in his Kotla on his own risk and later accompanied Khushhal Khan to Delhi.
When Sikhs occupied Peshawar in 1823, they set ablaze the historic Kotla gateway. But Abdul Karim Khan, another descendant of Mustajab, rebuilt it.
Arbab Haleem Khan, owner of the property housing Kotla gateway, told this scribe that last Mughal governor, Nawab Nasir Khan, welcomed the Afghan King Nadir Shah Durrani and gifted him the key to Peshawar in 1741 when he visited the city. This signalled the end of the Mughal Empire in Peshawar.
“We want this gateway to be restored as a heritage site. The remains of the original Kotla residence remained intact till 1970, now only the gate stands in shamble,” he added.
Interestingly, Kotla Mohsin Khan also had been abode of popular classical Pashto Sufi poet, Mazaullah Khan Momand, who lived in the 17th century.
Arbab Abdul Ghaffar Khan Momand, 70, told this scribe that legendary Sufi poet Mazaullah Khan Momand was his great-great grandfather. He said that Peshawar had numerous sites, which needed protection and conservation for posterity.
Abdul Ghaffar regretted that Peshawar once famed as city of flowers was now engulfed by pollution and careless populace.
“Reviving history, heritage and culture should be our top priority to avoid complete cultural decadence. If my old father does not tell stories and my mother does not sing me lullaby, I may grow a violent child without roots in a culture of peace,” he said.
The SCN is an advocacy group that lobbies for conservation of architectural and cultural heritage as well as biodiversity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Environment, heritage and culture are major concerns of SCN, as it collaborates with all international and national agencies, NGOs, local and provincial governments and various academic institutions in the province for sustainable biodiversity and healthier environment.
Dr Adil Zareef, noted social activist and convener of SCN, told this scribe that his organisation through an advocacy campaign had identified around 200 heritage sites including century’s old buildings, saints’ tombs, residences, gardens and even old trees in and around the walled- city of Peshawar.
He said that SCN could save the famous 150 years old Sethi House and legendary Bollywood star Dillip Kumar’s residence and a few other structures from being demolished.
However, he regretted that Peshawar city lost two historic structures -- old Muhafizkhana and Falaksair cinema house. “The construction of flyovers blocked the beautiful view and faade of the historic Balahisar fort which could be avoided through a mass transit system,” Dr Zareef said.
The new bylaws and regulations regarding conservation and protection of heritage sites prepared under the strong recommendations of the directorate of archeology and museums were only waiting for vetting by provincial law department, he added. .
Zahoor Durrani, consultant Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) on culture and heritage and focal person for SCN, said that absence of legal cover and lack of mass awareness coupled with lack of community involvement led to loss of heritage wealth around.
He said that Peshawar being the oldest living city of south Asia was abound with archeological and cultural sites. “We need to involve community along with running a mass awareness campaign to identify, own and conserve our heritage whether big or small as size does not count when it comes to archeological and historical significance of a site,” he said.
Dr Abdul Samad, director archeology and museums, said that currently there were four projects which were focusing on conservation of archaeological sites in and around the walled -city.
“This includes three in Gor Khatri and one in cantonment, Ali Mardan Villa. Apart from that we have proposed a mega project focusing on walled -city of Peshawar and provincial government has committed to release this fund for preservation and conservation of walled- city of Peshawar . There will be experts involved from Italy and Belgium to rehabilitate the ancient Peshawar city,” he added.
Dr Samad said that there were only five archaeological sites which were protected under the Antiquities Act, 1997 in and around the walled -city of Peshawar. The rest of all historic buildings, he said, were either in legal ownership/custody of Auqaf, Evacuee Trust, local government or private land and not under archaeology directorate.
“We have already approached these departments to hand over all the buildings, which are 75 years or older but their existing laws do not permit them. In this regard, we have proposed a new Antiquities Act 2014 (currently under review with law department for the last seven months), which will bind these departments to consult archaeology directorate before going for any renovation or edition,” Dr said.
Regarding Dillip Kumar’s birth abode, the director said that Dillip Kumar house had been protected under Antiquities Act and Raj Kapoor house would be protected in near future.
About advocacy plan, he said that public awareness about heritage was the only tool to conserve and preserve the heritage of Pakistan. He added that the directorate had allocated a separate budget for organising different activities to promote and protect archaeological heritage.
Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192664/peshawar-walled-city-a-picture-of-neglect


View from the courtroom: Flaws in law bring embarrassment to Ehtesab Commission


The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC), an important institution set up last year by the provincial government in accordance with the manifesto of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to check corruption by public office-holders, made several high profile arrests during last three months. However, the recent release of some of the key suspects on bail by the Peshawar High Court has turned into a source of embarrassment for the commission.
While the PHC rarely allows bail to suspects arrested on graft charges by the National Accountability Bureau, which is a federal institution, the grant of bail to suspects arrested by the KPEC in important cases is mostly because of certain apparent lacunas in the KPEC Act, 2014, under which the commission was established.
The commission started functioning a few months ago and made first arrests on April 17 when it apprehended five persons, including chief coordinating officer of Kohat district council Noor Daraz Khattak, who is father of PTI MPA Gul Sahab Khattak, on the charges of grabbing government land worth Rs250 million. The other four suspects were: tehsildar Mohammad Ghulam, patwari Kamran, girdawar Daud Khan and a beneficiary of the scam Taj Mohammad.
The commission claimed that during initial inquiry it surfaced that Noor Daraz, who was tehsil municipal officer in Kohat at the time of occurrence, in connivance with the other suspects had fraudulently transferred government land to different persons in Jarma area.
Subsequently, arrests were made in some other cases too. Pakistan Peoples Party’s former provincial minister Liaquat Shabab was arrested on May 28 on the charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Similarly, an additional secretary of finance department, Imtiaz Ayub, was arrested on May 27 on the charges of carrying out illegal appointments in social welfare directorate when he was its director a few years ago.
In another case, the owner of Iqra National University, Obaidur Rehman, was arrested on May 29 on charges of purchasing government land measuring 20 kanals in Phase-2 of Hayatabad Township at much cheaper rate compared to market price in 2009. It is alleged that he had been given the land at Rs700,000 per kanal whereas at that time the market value was around Rs 8 million per kanal in the same sector, thus causing a loss of around Rs150 million to the exchequer. Last month, the commission apprehended the director general of mines and mineral development department, Dr Liaquat Ali, who is suspected of misappropriating around Rs60 million on account of leasing out mines for exploration at Nizampur areas. Also, a deputy director of EPI, Dr Janbaz Afridi, was arrested on the charges of misappropriation of funds allocated for the immunization programme.
The high court recently granted bail to Liaqat Shabab, Obaidur Rehman, Imtiaz Ayub, Noor Daraz and some others on different grounds. One major flaw in the KPEC Act 2014 is the lack of any provision for remanding a suspect to judicial custody. While the framers of this law have included Section 38 in the Act which provides mechanism for remanding a suspect into the custody of the commission no provision was included for sending a suspect to judicial lock-up/prison after completion of his physical remand. Prima facie keeping a suspect in prison by the ehtesab court is an illegal practice and the same goes in support of an arrested suspect.
Normally, in other laws the framers use to mention that the Code of Criminal Procure should also apply to proceedings under that particular law. In the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, introduced during military government of Pervez Musharraf, Section 17 was included which states that provision of CrPC would be applied to the proceedings under that ordinance.
Another major problem faced by the ehtesab commission is the overlapping jurisdiction of other institutions in dealing with cases of corruption, especially the NAB. Under Section 35 (3) of KPEC Act 2014, if a federal agency had assumed jurisdiction in a case then the ehtesab commission could not take its cognizance unless a decision is made by head of the said federal agency on the recommendation of the commission’s director general.
Experts dealing with such cases believe that the provincial government should review the KPEC Act 2014 and remove the flaws supportive of the suspects. They said that there should be clarity about the respective jurisdiction of the federal and provincial agencies dealing with corruption cases.
Presently, another body, the anti-corruption establishment (ACE), with almost same functions has also been functioning in the province. Initially, when the KPEC Act was passed Section 57 was included in it which provided that the West Pakistan Anti-Corruption Establishment Ordinance, 1961, under which the ACE was set up, is hereby repealed. But in a few months the provincial government amended the KPEC Act by passing an amendment on June 24, 2014 through which Section 57 of the Act was deleted, thus, allowing the ACE to continue functioning in the presence of KPEC.
The provincial government so far could not give any convincing reason why KPEC was set up in case it did not intend to wind up the ACE. Experts are of the opinion that coordination should be improved between the federal and provincial agencies so as to avoid duplication in dealing with different cases, which goes in favour of the suspect.
Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192666/vi...law-bring-embarrassment-to-ehtesab-commission


Standing committees of KP Assembly in deep slumber


PESHAWAR: Despite having the powers to intervene in the affairs of government departments and streamline them, 11 of the 36 standing committees of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have failed to convene even a single meeting to discuss issues in the respective departments in the recently ended parliamentary year, according to sources.
They said that the performance of 11 standing committees was reported as nil because these committees showed no interest in their departments to fulfil the responsibility of oversight assigned to them. Like past, the performance of the oversight committees was not satisfactory in the second parliamentary year ending on May 28, 2015.
Sub-rule 2 of Rule 152 of the Rules of Procedure of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly states: “Each committee shall deal with the subjects assigned to the department concerned under the rules of business of the government or any other matter referred to it by the Assembly”.
The committees which failed to hold even a single meeting include the standing committees on house and library; excise and taxation; judicial affairs; industries, information, food, planning and development, revenue, science and technology, and housing.

---

11 of them failed to call even a single meeting in parliamentary year

---

They said that the number of standing committees having held no meeting had increased this year to 11 from nine in the previous parliamentary year.
Four of these bodies, including the standing committees on judicial affairs; house and library; information; and science and technology, had also not held any meeting last year ending on May 28, 2014.
Similarly, the sources said that 12 oversight committees had met only once.
These include the standing committees on auqaf, haj, religious and minority affairs; environment; irrigation; law; parliamentary affairs; local government; sports; inter-provincial coordination; transport; labour; relief; rehabilitation; and settlement.
Interestingly, the sources said, maximum number of meetings was held by the standing committee on privileges. In the privilege committee meetings, issues related to the breach of the privilege of lawmakers by the government officers were often discussed.
The standing committees on administration and the elementary and secondary education have held four meetings each, followed by the committees on agriculture; livestock and dairy development; higher education; and health with three meeting each.
Several of them have held two meetings, including the standing committees on home and tribal affairs; population welfare; zakat and usher; establishment; public health engineering; and mines and minerals.
The sources said that most of the oversight committees of the assembly didn’t take own initiative to intervene in the government departments about any existing issue rather they had been waiting for the business referred to the committees by the house for discussion.
When asked about the reasons for not convening the standing committees, the sources said that the chairmen of these committees either showed less interest in convening meetings or they were unaware of their powers to ask the respective departments about any wrongdoings.
Asked why he has not convened any meeting, chairman of the standing committee on revenue Mufti Fazl Ghafoor told Dawn that the assembly had not referred any business to his committee so far and that was why no meeting took place in the entire year.
“Actually, the government does not want to refer any question, calling attention notice or other issue to the committee despite insistence of the movers,” he said.
When reminded that he had the powers to intervene in the affairs of revenue department, Mr Ghafoor said that he had not seen any such issue in the department which needed his committee’s intervention.
“I had called a meeting on the strike of patwaris, but that issue was solved by the chief minister before the meeting,” he said.
Chairman of the standing committee on industries Babar Khan and chairman of the standing committee on food MPA Javed Nasim, who also failed to convene any meeting, were not available for comments despite repeated calls on their cell phones.
Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015

http://www.dawn.com/news/1192678/standing-committees-of-kp-assembly-in-deep-slumber

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JULY 07 2015

ANP says KP on verge of liquidation

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the verge of liquidation due to ill-planned policy of the PTI-led coalition government.
In a statement issued here on Monday, he said that incompetent ministers were misguiding Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan through incorrect facts and figures. He said that the previous government had prepared feasibility studies of 24 hydel power generation projects in the province.

The ANP leader said that the present government claimed to have completed 29 feasibility studies which he believed was incorrect. He said that Rs27.50 billion was kept in the provincial hydel development fund for new schemes in the power sector.

Mr Hussain said that the provincial government had withdrawn Rs15 billion from the funds of which only Rs3.4 billion had been allocated for power energy while the remaining amount would be spent on streets’ pavement. In principle, he said, the government could not allocate amount from hydel development fund to other sectors.
The ANP leader said that the coalition government had spent only 44 per cent of the Annual Development Programme in 2013-14 while 59 per cent of the previous ADP could be utilised.

“Ironically Chief Minister Pervez Khattak spent Rs24 billion in last two weeks of previous financial year,” he said, adding that provincial government had made payment to contractors before completion of the schemes. He said that standard procedure was that the departments concerned had to pay to contractors after inspection of the schemes. — Bureau Report

Read more: Only 45pc of annual KP development budget utilised till June: CGPA
Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192832/anp-says-kp-on-verge-of-liquidation


NAB recommends reforms in KP departments

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau chairman on Monday approved the recommendations of the prevention committee to reform the provincial public health engineering, water and sanitation, irrigation and local government departments.
The recommendations will now be sent to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for implementation.
NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry had constituted the Prevention Committee under Section 33C of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.
The committee comprised of representatives from different departments and stakeholders with the director general of NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as its chairman.
The mandate of the prevention committee was to educate and advise public authorities, holders of public offices on measures to combat corruption and corrupt practices, examine the laws in force and also rules and regulations, code of conduct relating to PHE, W&S, irrigation and local government and rural development department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

---

To send recommendations to CM for implementation

---

According to a news release, the NAB chairman chaired a meeting on Monday at its headquarters in Islamabad.
The first area in which the prevention committee gave its recommendations was about assets declaration and analysis.
The committee recommended that all administrative secretaries issue a certificate at the end of the financial year that officers and officials have declared their assets. The second area was about Code of Conduct.
It recommended that the chief secretary monitor issues of conduct of employees of departments through a sub-committee comprising secretaries of establishment, law and concerned secretary on quarterly basis.
The committee said the charter of duties and responsibilities in the shape of Pakhtunkhwa Code is being formulated and the process should be expedited for early notification of the updated code.
It also suggested that all information relevant to the department concerned be uploaded on the department’s websites in line with the Right to Information Act, 2014 on regular basis.
About grievance redressal system, the committee said permanent computerised online complaints lodging system should be established in each department.
It added that a coordination unit comprising in charge of the Chief Minister’s Complaint Cell and an additional director of NAB KP complaint cell should be established for mutual assistance and sharing important complaints involving criminal material and monthly review meetings to be held in each department to analyse the disposal of complaints.
Regarding quality control assurance in projects, the prevention committee recommended that laboratories for basic material tests at divisional level had already been established in the C&W department and similar arrangements could be undertaken by the irrigation department and water quality laboratories should be established in public health engineering department.
The committee also recommended that as local government department deals with general public, it should have one window service delivery system at the district and tehsil level at first stage and should further extend it at union council’s level after six months on the basis of lesson learnt at district and tehsil levels.
The committee proposed a refresher course shall be annually arranged for officers/ officials on training on Provincial Procurement Rules for better orientation about these rules.
Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192803/nab-recommends-reforms-in-kp-departments


Faulty diagnostic machines at HMC irk patients


PESHAWAR: Patients seeking healthcare facilities at Hayatabad Medical Complex have been facing hardships owing to the out-of-order diagnostic machines, according to doctors.
“We have to send samples from patients to have their blood gases done at Khyber Teaching Hospital or private outlets due to non-availability of machine. The test is essentially important to diagnose seriously sick patients in intensive care unit,” said, a physician at the hospital. The patients suffer due to administration’s inability to repair the faulty machines and equipments.“Only blood gas examination can help the medics in emergency medical treatment,” the doctor said.
Non-availability of bronchoscope has adversely been affecting patients, especially children, who are brought with some foreign matter in their bodies. Such children require immediate bronchoscope to see the location of the swallowed foreign body and take it out as soon as possible.
“We have seen two children dying for non-availability of the bronchoscope,” a physician said. Interestingly, the bronchoscope had become dysfunctional owing to a fault in the small equipment a few months ago. The administration of ENT “A” ward had repaired it as it was used for the patients of the same ward.

---

Official says they are installing new MRI and CT scanner at a cost of Rs280 million

---

The service was denied to the patients of ENT “B” ward, the physician said. The fault can be removed at a cost of Rs20,000 only.
Same is the case with endoscope machine, which had not been in use for the past five months, but it was used for the patients of medical “A” ward. The patients coming to gastroenteritis and medical “B” ward aren’t entertained through the machine.
“Medically speaking, gastroenteritis ward couldn’t be run without an endoscope machine because it is of fundamental significance to diagnose patients,” the physician said. As a result, patients had to be shifted to Lady Reading Hospital to undergo the examination, he said. He added that some of the patients died before getting an appointment for the test there because of workload.
Similarly, MRI scan has also not been functioning for the past four years due to which at least 40 patients from HMC were referred to KTH and private centres where they underwent not only troubles but paid more fee besides suffering the pain and agony caused to them by transportation.
The authorities have been able to repair CT scanner and echocardiography (children machine) and resume services only a month ago after one year.
Prof Noor Wazir, HMC Medical Director, told Dawn that all the equipments of the hospitals were available for all patients coming to the hospital.
“The endoscope was available to medical “B” ward and the patients have every right to use the machine. Actually, it was one medical ward which was split into two -- medical A and B wards. The endoscope remained in medical “A” ward because medical “B” ward was established at a separate place,” he said.
Same was true for bronchoscope that was used by ENT ward previously but now there was ENT “B” ward also, he said. “Both the wards are equally entitled to use the machine,” he said.
Prof Noor said that they were installing new MRI and CT scanner at a cost of Rs280 million. “We have received specifications from Shaukat Khanum Hospital and advertisement has been placed to buy these machines as soon as possible,” he added.
Prof Noor said the administration in consultation with the relevant experts and member of Board of Governors were trying to resolve other problems and facilitate the patients fully. “The government will buy new endoscope and bronchoscope,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192808/faulty-diagnostic-machines-at-hmc-irk-patients

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN JULY 08 2015

Former police chief, official indicted in arms purchase case

PESHAWAR: A local accountability court on Tuesday indicted former provincial police officer Malik Naveed Khan and former budget officer of police Javed Khan for receiving kickbacks from a private contractor and inflicting a loss of Rs2031.25 million during the procurement of weapons and equipment for the police department in 2009-10.
The two pleaded not guilty to getting bribe and decided to stand trial.
Judge of the accountability court Mohammad Ibrahim Khan summoned prosecution witnesses in the case on July 9 and adjourned hearing.
Special prosecutor Danyal Asad Chamkani appeared for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Malik Naveed was arrested on Nov 20, 2013, but his indictment delayed for over a year for different reasons.
During that period, the Peshawar High Court too dismissed his bail plea.
In the case, Ameer Ghazan Khan, brother of former provincial chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti, was also arrested along with his brother-in-law, Raza Ali.
However, he was acquitted by the court few weeks ago after Raza Ali made plea bargain deal with the National Accountability Bureau and agreed to return Rs200 million which he had allegedly received from private contractor Arshad Majeed, a central character of the case, who got most of the lucrative contracts from police.
In the charge framed against the accused persons Malik Naveed is accused of illegally processing and approving award of contracts of SMG (semi-automatic machine gun), heavy weapons, bullet proof jackets and night vision goggles with malafide intentions to accommodate the favourite contractor, Arshad Majeed, who later turned approver.
He is accused of illegally approving the advance payment of Rs189 million despite the fact that the director general of the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) had clearly mentioned the non availability of sufficient funds under the relevant head.
The charge sheet states corruption case that Malik Naveed had obtained kickbacks in cash amounting to Rs360 million from contractor Arshad Majeed besides receiving nine standing split air-conditioners valuing Rs479,000.
Malik Naveed is also accused of ordering the purchase of Chinese motorcycles for police though the inter-departmental purchase committee didn’t approve the deal.
The former PPO is also charged with having complete knowledge of contractor Arshad Majeed being cloth supplier and thus, not qualified for supply of weapons and technical equipment to the department.
As for Javed Khan, the charge sheet states that he had received Rs420 million as kickbacks from Arshad Majeed for extending favours to him in the procurement process.
In addition thereto the approver Arhsad Majeed also allegedly purchased a house for him in Phase 6 Hayatabad Township and also met expenses of Haj performed by Javed and his family.
The NAB alleged that on his pointation Rs4.12 million each and three Glock pistols and other expensive items were recovered from Javed’s residence, which were part of kickbacks received by him.
In the reference the NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had also included names of six other police officers including then commandant of Frontier Constabulary (FC) Abdul Majeed Marwat, ex-additional IGP Operation (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Abdul Latif Ghandapur, DIG at Central Police Office (CPO) Sajid Ali Khan, then DIG Headquarters Peshawar Mohammad Suleman, then AIG (Establishment) at CPO Kashif Alam and then DIG (telecommunications) Sadiq Kamal Orakzai.
However, the accountability court had not summoned them for the framing of the charge observing their roles were not clearly spelled out in the reference and that they had also not been arrested by the NAB.
The decision of the accountability court was also upheld by the high court and recently, the NAB has challenged that judgment before the Supreme Court.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193118/former-police-chief-official-indicted-in-arms-purchase-case


Rs45bn released to district govts in KP: Khattak


PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Tuesday his government had allocated Rs45 billion to the district governments across the province.
Talking to reporters at the Chief Minister House after taking oath of the fresh office-bearers of the Peshawar Press Club, Khattak said compared to other provinces, KP had devolved more departments to the district governments and it would bring about real change.
The chief minister said during two years in power, his government had strived to introduce a transparent governance system in the province. He said the PTI government had freed the government system from the clutches of bureaucracy. He said now even the chief minister didn’t enjoy any clout and had to follow the rules.
Mr Khattak said KP government had curbed teachers’ absenteeism in government schools that had led to 95 per cent attendance among students. He said government offices were meant for serving people, not for claiming perks and privileges.
Khattak said hospitals were there to provide health facilities to poor patients and not to be padlocked and closed down. He claimed a free and powerful independent Ehtesab Commission was functioning in the province and no one could interfere in its working. He said his government had done remarkable legislation during its two years in office and also kept the opposition onboard in lawmaking.
The chief minister asked media owners to implement 7th wage board award, and also announced payment of Rs50 million remaining amount in lieu of Durrani Media Colony and a grant of Rs10 million for the Peshawar Press Club.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193119/rs45bn-released-to-district-govts-in-kp-khattak


Footwear stores replace historical cafs of Peshawar Saddar

PESHAWAR: Saddar Road, the main street of Peshawar Cantonment, has lost over the past few years three historical cafs, frequented by a large number of people.
The last one to pull its shutters down was Silver Star Caf and the space that once served aromatic tea and snacks has now been taken over by a footwear store. Interestingly, two other popular cafes -- Golden Star and Khyber -- located in its close proximity have also closed down and footwear stores have taken over their premises.
Amin Khan, who worked at Silver Star, told Dawn that the caf closed down last year owing to dwindling economic prospects.
He said that caf had to pay the same amount of tax that was paid by the big city restaurants. “Though it was a historical caf, yet it was very difficult to run it with the meagre earning,” he added.

---

With the closure of these cafs, Peshawar has lost its cultural life

---

Labour leader Agha Bakhtiar Ali, who witnessed the heydays of the cafs in both cantonment and city area, said that Saddar Road cafs were centres of the cultural life of Peshawar.
“There were five cafs. The cultural centres of France and the US and British Library were also located here,” he said. Caf Shiraz, Golden Star, Khyber Caf and Silver Star were located on main Saddar Road while Caf De France was situated close to French Cultural Centre on Arbab Road. The US centre and British Council Library were also located nearby.
Mr Ali said that Golden Star was the most popular cafs as its rates were reasonable. “Qamar Sardhadi, Abul Kaif Kaifi, Farigh Bukhari and Khatir Ghaznvi were among the regular visitors of the caf,” he said, adding that the caf would remain open till late at night and many people would turn up to listen to those literary luminaries.
He said that Shiraz Caf was popular among college students, who mostly occupied its balcony, as it offered music besides tea and snacks. Caf De France also offered good pastry besides tea, he said. “Many book lovers would also come to Saddar owing to presence of French and the US cultural centers and British Library here,” he added.
Mr Ali said that the British-era Peshawar Garrison Club was centre of cultural life, but everyone could not have gone there, so those cafs were a common man alternative to gathering places of the elite.
“Those cafs also contributed to raising political awareness among the visitors,” he said, adding that in old city ‘qehwakhanas’ (the green tea shops) also performed the same function. The old city tea stalls, which would remain open till late night, were also frequented by a large number of people, he said.
“Peshawar has seen tribulations throughout its history. Now it is physically intact, but dying culturally,” Mr Ali said, adding when terrorist attacks surged in the city, people even stopped coming out of their homes.
Columnist Dr Mohammad Taqi told Dawn that among others, sportsmen especially hockey players used to hang out at Golden and Silver cafs.
“I was a child in the 1970s and attended some of those gatherings with my uncle Sawakhat Ali Khan Sakhi, who was the then NWFP hockey captain and PAF team’s coach. Such a bustle as I’ve seen at those cafs along Champs-lyses in the evenings,” he added.
Dr Taqi said that another hangout was Mehrdin Ustad’s sports shop which was on main Saddar Road right by Lahori Qulfa shop. Mehrdin was a feisty man, who made the best hockey stick called “Frontier King”.
Rashid, who runs a shop next to the closed down Silver Star Caf, told Dawn that the lone place in Peshawar where people could interact and sit was Peshawar Club but it was reserved for civil and military elite of the city.
“For the rest of the people, there is no place to sit and share their interests,” he said, adding that to sit, listen and think had ceased to exist in the society.
Mr Rashid said that three of the four cafs in Saddar including Khyber, Golden Star and Silver Star were closed down and only Shiraz Caf was there.
In addition to those cafs there were also other prominent places that were frequented by political workers and intellectuals including Afzal Bangash’s Balakhana in Khyber Bazaar and Arbab Sikandar’s place, however, these too are long gone besides other such prominent places in rest of the province.
Dr Taqi said Afzal Bangash’s Balakhana was indeed a gathering spot for the leftist political workers. Another leftist hangout was right outside
Asamai Gate above Mumtaz Medicos across from Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). He said that there was Caf Shabistan.
“Shabistan was owned by my grandfather’s brother Younus Khan aka Younas Kabuli and Group of 77 (I think that’s what it was called) including Afzal Bangash, Qazi Anwar and other Maoists used to come there,” he said, adding that Shabistan lasted till late 70s.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193110/footwear-stores-replace-historical-cafes-of-peshawar-saddar

Confusion persists about schedule for nazims’ election

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seems perplexed to announce schedule for the election of nazims and naib nazims of tehsil and district councils after Peshawar High Court stayed re-polling for local government in 14 districts of the province.
Under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, the elections of nazim and naib nazim in each district and tehsil council should have held by July 8 (today).
Section 79 of the Act, which is about the term of office, first meeting, election of nazim or naib nazim and conduct of business in local council states: “Provided that the first meeting shall be held not later than fifteen days from the day on which the names of its members are notified.”
Similarly, Section 79 (2) states that “save as otherwise provided, a local council shall in its first meeting and to the exclusion of any other business elect from its members as nazim and naib nazim by open division.”
The ECP notified official results of the My 30 local government elections on June 23. The 15 days limit since the result announcement would complete on Wednesday (Today).
However, there is no sign of the elections for nazims and naib nazims in the 24 districts of the province where local government elections were held.
“We were expecting that the election of nazims and naib nazims would be held soon after the re-polling on July 5,” a district returning officer told Dawn. Since the Peshawar High Court stayed the re-polling at 365 polling stations, the situation was unclear, he added.
On July 3, Peshawar High Court stayed the re-polling schedule on different petitions filed by the candidates, who had challenged the notification of ECP on various grounds. In some of the cases, the petitioners stated that they had already been notified as returned candidates by ECP following which holding of re-polling in their respective wards was illegal and unconstitutional.
Provincial Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan, when contacted, said that it was domain of ECP to decide date for the election of nazims and naib nazims at district and tehsil level.
If ECP was not fixing date for election of nazims and naib nazims and waiting for re-polling, then why elections were not held in 10 districts where no issue of re-polling existed, the minister questioned.
A senior official at ECP office in Peshawar told Dawn that his office didn’t receive any instructions about the election of nazims and naib nazims at district and tehsil level after staying the re-polling by court. “Now ECP and PHC will decide the future line of action about the election of nazims and naib nazims at district and tehsil level after staying the re-polling,” he said.
The spokesperson for ECP in Islamabad, when contacted, said that earlier it was decided that the election of nazims and naib nazims would be held after the re-polling in many districts. “Since the re-polling is challenged in the court so the decision about the election of nazims and naib nazims has not been taken by ECP,” he said. He said that deputy director local government, ECP Islamabad had sent a summary to the high-ups for legal advice in that regard.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193109/confusion-persists-about-schedule-for-nazims-election


Health reforms law rejected

ABBOTTABAD: Employees of the Ayub Medical Complex Hospital Abbottabad, a leading hospital of Hazara division, have rejected the newly-introduced Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Institutions Reforms Act 2015 and announced they will agitate against it and even challenge it in the court of law.
The announcement was made on Tuesday during a meeting of the hospital’s doctors, paramedics, clerks and other staff members here on Tuesday, the deadline set by the health department for its employees to decide about their absorption in the hospital.
Noted among those in attendance were Dr Amin and Dr Khizer Hayat of Provincial Doctors Association, Abid Jadoon of Technical Staff Association, Syed Habib Shah, Mushtaq Ahmad and Abdul Waheed of Para Medical Association, Khan Gul and Abdul Razzaq of Class IV Association, Kamran Khan and Shamsur Rehman of Clerks Association and Javed Khan, Riasat Begum and Khalida Shaheen of Nursing Council. The participants decided the formation of the All Employees Health Coordination Council to finalise future course of action and said they would engage employees of three other teaching hospitals of the province.
According to Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act 2015, all civil servants serving in medical teaching institutions will be given an option either to continue to serve their respective institutions as civil servants otherwise they may opt for being employees of institutions.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

DAWN 09 2015

PTI workers seek action against MPA

ESHAWAR: The workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf belonging to KP-III constituency have demanded of the government to stop development funds of the MPA concerned, Javed Naseem, and freeze his bank accounts for what they called changing loyalty.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, PTI workers including Shahzeb, Tahir Zaman Shinwari, Arif Khan Mohmand and Mohammad Imran said that the MPA had extended full support to the rival candidates of PTI in the May 30 local government elections but even then the party emerged successful in the polls.

“We had helped Javed Naseem in getting ticket and then ran campaign for him in the general elections but now he changed his loyalty,” they said and added that the same lawmaker was now not ready to talk to PTI workers.
Mr Shahzeb alleged that the MPA had joined hands with leaders of opposition parties, especially PML-N and JUI-F. He was hatching conspiracies against PTI but the workers would not let him succeed in his designs, he added.
He said that the MPA was least bothered to consult the party activists while initiating any development scheme. It caused serious concern among the workers, he added.

Mr Shahzeb demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to constitute a committee to launch inquiry into utilisation of funds meant for development of PK-III Peshawar constituency. The provincial government, he said, should spend the development funds through a committee of the PTI workers in PK-III instead of releasing it to MPA Javed Naseem.

“The MPA has now nothing to do with PTI and the party should promote its other sincere workers for the future elections. In case the party doesn’t take action against the MPA then the workers will observe a sit-in outside the residence of Imran Khan in Bani Gala to convey him their grievances,” Mr Shahzeb said.
Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193352/pti-workers-seek-action-against-mpa


Four officials get bail in corruption case


PESHAWAR: The Peshawar district and sessions judge on Wednesday granted bail to four government officials in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds during the purchase of computers for the local government department.
Judge Shahid Khan asked the four, including former secretary of local government department and current director general of the prosecution directorate
Aurangzeb Khan, deputy secretary of planning and development department Shakirullah Khan, director of local government department Tahira Yasmin and assistant deputy commissioner serving as Wapda magistrate Samiullah Khan, to furnish two surety bonds each of Rs500,000 for bail.
However, private contractor Manzoor Ahmad Qureshi’s bail plea was turned down.
The contractor was awarded contract of the provision of computers and other accessories to the local government department.
The suspects were arrested by the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) on June 29.
The ACE alleged that the four officials in connivance with each other had awarded the contract of the supply of 710 computers and same numbers of stabilisers and uninterrupted power supply units.
It alleged that instead of awarding the contract to the lowest bidder the four suspects awarded the same to the suspect Manzoor Ahmad Qureshi who had quoted higher rates.
The ACE alleged that the contractor provided half of the computers whereas rest of the 355 computers were not provided to the department as the suspects were involved with him.
Furthermore, the suspect had also allegedly paid the entire amount to the contractor in advance and for that purpose instead of making payment through cross cheques, which was the prescribed procedure, they paid the amount in cash.
The ACE alleged that the suspects had inflicted a loss of Rs46 million to the exchequer.
Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik, Aamir Jawed and other appeared for the four applicants and contended that their clients were falsely implicated in the case.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193354/four-officials-get-bail-in-corruption-case


Health dept sets up own directorate of works


ESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has established its own directorate of works with a view to carry out timely repair and maintenance work at the hospitals.
The government has allocated Rs2.6 billion for two years for the directorate of works that will operate under an executive engineer with sub-divisional officers and other staff at his disposal, KP secretary health Mushtaq Jadoon told Dawn.
He said that the directorate would ensure speedy completion of the repair and maintenance works at the hospitals and the patients would get unhindered services.

---

It would ensure that repair work at hospitals is done quickly

---

“For the initial two years, it will cover 11 big hospitals like the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, etc, while its scope of work will be extended to the whole province later,” he said.
The directorate of works would be located at the offices of KP directorate general health and remain in touch with the designated hospitals to take care of the maintenance work there.
The focus will be repair and maintenance of the toilets and pipelines, he said.
The health secretary said that the directorate would ensure that maintenance work was carried out quickly.
Earlier, the health department had to receive complaints regarding repairs in the hospitals and then it would send umbrella PC-1 for the same to the communication and works department that took painfully long time.
He said that the directorate would also supervise the projects currently being carried out by the C&W department to ensure their timely completion and quality work.
He said that it would also oversee the development work being carried out in the teaching hospitals. For example, the health department has allocated Rs3 billion for development work in the Lady Reading Hospital, which would now be looked after by the directorate.
Mr Jadoon said that the government had already approved a summary in this regard and a senior engineer had been deputed from the C&W department to head the directorate.
“We have also requested the KP chief secretary to give a go-ahead for the recruitment of other staff so that the directorate starts operations as soon as possible,” he said.
The health secretary said that head of the directorate would exercise the powers of chief engineer and carry out all small and big projects to ensure that the health institutions did not suffer.
Sources in the directorate of health said that the previous system was not only lengthy and cumbersome, but would also cost more money.
“We have to pay Rs100, 000 or more for whitewash of two rooms. Similarly, we have to wait for months for small constructions and repair work,” they said.
They said that majority of the teaching and district headquarters hospitals had got own maintenance staff, but their performance wasn’t up to the mark. They said that the directorate would also check the performance of the staff already working in the hospitals.
Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1193358/health-dept-sets-up-own-directorate-of-works

 

[Syed Haider Imam]

مالی بدعنوانی کا الزام، صوبائی وزیر ضیا آفریدی گرفتار

عزیز اللہ خانبی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، پشاور

• 6 گھنٹے پہلے

شیئر

ضیا اللہ آفریدی خیبر پختونخوا اسمبلی کے رکن ہیں اور ان کا تعلق تحریکِ انصاف سے ہےپاکستان کے صوبہ خیبر پختونخوا کے احتساب کمیشن نے تحریک انصاف سے تعلق رکھنے والے صوبائی وزیر معدنیات ضیااللہ آفریدی کو اختیارات کے ناجائز استعمال اور مالی بدعنوانی کے الزامات کی بنیاد پر گرفتار کر لیا ہے۔

ادھر قومی احتساب بیورو نے بھی سابق صوبائی وزیر معدنیات محمود زیب سمیت نو افراد کو انھی الزامات کے تحت علیحدہ علیحدہ مقدمات میں حراست میں لیا ہے۔

صوبائی احتساب کمیشن کی جانب سے جاری کردہ بیان میں کہا گیا ہے کہ ان کے پاس ایسے شواہد ہیں کہ صوبائی وزیر ضیاء اللہ آفریدی مالی بدعنوانی اور اختیارات کے ناجائز استعمال میں ملوث تھے جس سے قومی خزانے کو اربوں روپے کا نقصان ہوا ہے۔

بیان میں کہا گیا ہے کہ ضیااللہ آفریدی کو جمعرات کو باقاعدہ طور پر گرفتار کیا گیا اور اب انھیں مزید قانونی کارروائی کے لیے احتساب عدالت میں پیش کیا جائے گا۔

احتساب کمیشن کا کہنا ہے کہ بدعنوانی کے اسی مقدمے میں ڈائریکٹر جنرل محکمہ معدنیات کو پہلے ہی گرفتار کیا جا چکا ہے۔

ایسی اطلاعات ہیں کہ ضیااللہ آفریدی کو معدنیات کی تین بڑی لیزوں میں بدعنوانی پر گرفتار کیا گیا ہے ۔
صوبائی احتساب کمیشن تحریک انصاف کے دور میں ہی قائم کیا گیا اور اسے ایک خود مختار ادارے کی حیثیت حاصل ہے۔

ادھر قومی احتساب بیورو نے بھی جمعرات کو کارروائی کرتے ہوئے سابق وزیر معدنیات نوابزادہ محمود زیب کو نو اعلیٰ افسران سمیت گرفتار کیا ہے۔

نیب کے بیان میں کہا گیا ہے مزید قانونی کارروائی کے لیے گرفتار افراد کو احتساب عدالت کے سامنے پیش کر کے ان کا ریمانڈ حاصل کیا جائے گاان افراد پر فاسفیٹ کی ایک بڑی کان غیر قانونی طور پر رخسانہ نامی ایک سکول ٹیچر کو فروخت کرنے کا الزام ہے۔ اس سودے سے قومی خزانے کو تقریباً 36 کروڑ روپے کا نقصان ہوا تھا۔

نوابزادہ محمود زیب کے علاوہ گرفتار ہونے والے افراد میں سابق سیکریٹری معدنیات اور انڈسٹریز شاہ ولی خان، سابق ایڈیشنل سیکریٹری معدنیات اور موجودہ کمشنر بنوں ڈویژن عصمت اللہ خان گنڈا پور سمیت
محکمہ معدنیات کے دیگر افسران شامل ہیں۔

نیب کی جانب سے جاری بیان میں کہا گیا ہے کہ تحقیقات سے معلوم ہوا ہے کہ سرحد ڈیویلپمنٹ اتھارٹی کے 1200 ایکڑ پر محیط فاسفیٹ کے ذخائر کی نیلامی میں مذکورہ وزیر اور ان کے اس وقت کے عملے نے قانون کے خلاف ایسے اقدامات کیے جن سے قومی خزانے کو کروڑوں روپے کا نقصان ہوا۔

بیان کے مطابق اس لیز میں سے پانچ سو ایکڑ پر محیط ذخائر ایک استانی کو غیر قانونی طور پر دیے گئے جبکہ اس معاملے میں محمود زیب کے ایک رشتہ دار بھی ملوت پائے گئے ہیں۔

نیب کے بیان میں کہا گیا ہے مزید قانونی کارروائی کے لیے گرفتار افراد کو احتساب عدالت کے سامنے پیش کر کے ان کا ریمانڈ حاصل کیا جائے گا۔

قومی احتساب بیورو نے خیبر پختونخوا میں ڈیڑھ سال کے دوران 150 سے زیادہ گرفتاریاں کی ہیں اور ان میں سیکریٹری ورکرز ویلفیئر بورڈ طارق اعوان اور ایڈیشنل سیکرٹری داخلہ ارشد خان جیسے حاضر سروس بیوروکریٹس بھی شامل ہیں۔