Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
August 13, 2016
KPK Updates
- Thread starter Syed Haider Imam
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Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
August 14 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
August 15 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
[h=2]KP govt fails to expand dental health services
[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not been able to develop dental health services at grassroots level despite availability of specialist surgeons, according to sources.
There are only 210 dental surgeons against 6,000 medical doctors in the public sector hospitals of the province. It shows the lack of attention by the government towards dental health services.
Officials, however, claim that 67 new posts of dental surgeons have been created that also include specialists, who will be posted at the district headquarters hospitals (DHQs).
[h=4]There are only 210 dental surgeons in the province[/h]
“The current situation with regard to dental care services at government hospitals is not up to the desired level,” said sources. They said that health department sanctioned 26 posts of dental surgeons in 2015 and 25 posts in 2016. They added that the province inducted 500 students in four public sector and five private colleges but new posts were not created.
There is one dental surgeon each at rural health centre, tehsil quarters hospital and district headquarters hospital. The dental surgeons face sterilisation issues at those health facilities because of non-availability of autoclave machine, which costs only Rs400, 000, to prevent cross-infection.
The province has employed about 35 dental specialists while as many specialists are jobless, work in private hospitals or have proceeded abroad.
About 100 trained medical officers (TMOs) are getting postgraduate training in seven specialties in Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD). At least 15 TMOs pass out every year who can be appointed as dental specialists in DHQs to facilitate local population and lessen load of patients on Peshawar hospitals where dental services are concentrated.
The director-general health services demolished a post of deputy director (dental), who was focal person for the matters about dentistry and used to point out needs of dental surgeons to the government. The dental affairs have been run by a clerk since 2002.
Dr Tariq Khan, an assistant professor at KCD, said that lack of facilities and awareness about oral hygiene was resulting in high prevalence of diseases in rural areas.
“About 60 per cent population face teeth decay and gum diseases due to lack of facilities. We have found school students with problems which are curable at the early age,” he said.
Dr Tariq said that they visited schools and targeted students aged five to 15 years and persuaded them to take precautions about their teeth to lead quality life. He said that regular checkups every three months was mandatory to stay safe but people came to them when they felt toothache.
“Tooth preservation requires regular brushing and cleanliness,” Dr Tariq said, adding that some diseases were not painful due to which they snowballed into major problems.
The KCD, being the oldest facility in the province, is also facing problems.
Although political intervention in the institution with regard to appointments, promotions and selection etc has ended after enforcement of Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015yet the college’s plan to recruit 35 staffers and start evening OPD and institution-based practice and begin round-the-clock laboratory services is yet to see light of the day.
The finance department returned a request for the new posts, asking the college to contact Board of Governors of the medical teaching institution. On the instruction of BoG, it has now demanded 10 posts, which are yet to be sanctioned.
KCD Principal Prof Ghulam Rasool said they received Rs340 million one-line budget from the government annually, bulk of which went to salaries of staff and nothing was left for development.
“More than 400 patients visit the facility per day. They are tested for hepatitis before carrying out the procedures, including filling, extraction etc, free of cost,” he said.
A new building, to be completed at a cost of Rs373 million will ease the load. The 28-bed KCD has 30 specialists but has not made new appointments since 1991.
The government spends Rs5 million on graduates and Rs5 million on training of TMOs but their services were not acquired.
The college administration is also concerned about requirements of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to save the facility from being derecognised.
Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277628/kp-govt-fails-to-expand-dental-health-services
[h=2]Centre not giving KP due share of electricity: CM
[/h]MINGORA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Saturday that his government had put the province on the path of development and prosperity and soon the whole country would witness real change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He was addressing a big gathering at the inaugural ceremony of 150KW mini hydropower project (MHP) at Lalkoo area of Matta tehsil in Swat. The power project was constructed by Sarhad Rural Support Programme in collaboration with the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo).
“In the first phase our government will complete 356 mini hydropower units in the northern districts of KP and in the second phase work on 1,000 more units will be started which will make the province free of loadshedding,” he said.
[h=4]Khattak inaugurates 150KW hydropower project in Swat[/h]
Criticising the federal government, Mr Khattak said that it had been giving the KP only 10 per cent of its due 13 and half per cent share of electricity since 2010.
The chief minister said that the federal government was deliberately observing power loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Soon we will close all the Pesco offices in the province against the undue power loadshedding,” he said, adding that PML-N’s Amir Muqam should first give its due right of electricity to Swat, but he would not do so as he only wanted chair.
Lalkoo ─Photo by author
He claimed that 300 million trees of the one billion trees project had already been planted and 300 million more trees would be planted. “The one billion tree plantation project will be a historical project in the country which will bring change in real sense not only in the province, but also in the entire country,” he said.
Mr Khattak said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government was successfully implementing its agenda of change in the province in which systems of the institutions were being streamlined. “We are bringing public-centered policies and have brought revolutionary reforms in police, health and education departments,” he said.
He also approved some projects for the valley, including land for a graveyard, a BHU, 13km road from Sakhra to Gabina Jabba, land for the Khpal Kor Foundation at Matta and Rokhana Pakhtunkhwa Programme in Swat. The local communities in Lalkoo valley thanked the SRSP and government for constructing the MHP and approving other projects in their area.
The 150kW mini hydropower project at Bar Lalko area in Sakhra valley of Matta tehsil was constructed with the total cost of Rs24.64 million which will illuminate about 700 houses in the area. The groundbreaking ceremony of the MHP was attended by PTI chairman Imran Khan.
The Lalko MHP is part of ‘The Construction of 356 Mini/Micro Hydro Power Projects in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’, under which 105 power units are under construction in Swat, Shangla and Kohistan districts. Of the 105 units, 45 are being constructed in Swat and 18 of them have so far been completed.
Later, the chief minister inaugurated the Rescue 1122 in Saidu Sharif, Swat.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277416/centre-not-giving-kp-due-share-of-electricity-cm
[h=2]SDA dissolution runs into legal complications
[/h] PESHAWAR: High-ups at the defunct Sarhad Development Authority (SDA) have pointed out complications in the dissolution of the authority and the handing over of its assets to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (EZDMC).
On July 22, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had promulgated an ordinance to dissolve the SDA and hand over its assets to the EZDMC.
The ordinance was issued after the Peshawar High Court declared the transfer of the authority’s assets to company illegal in March this year, as the SDA was set up under an assembly act and could not dispensed through the executive order.
However, defunct SDA’s chairman Sajid Jadoon has written a letter to the industries secretary pointing out legal issues and complications in the promulgation of the KP Taking Over of Industrial Estates or Economic Zones Ordinance 2016.
The July 28 letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, notes that the SDA was set up under the relevant 1972 Act for boosting economic activity and creating job opportunities in the province.
[h=4]Ordinance silent on valuation of defunct authority’s assets, two industrial estate schemes[/h]
In the letter, Mr. Jadoon said the KP government had promulgated the ordinance on July 22, which required the transfer of SDA assets and liabilities along with its employees to the EZDMC.
He said Section 3 of the ordinance stated that all industrial estates or economic zones mentioned in the schedule thereto would stand transferred to the authority to the company and that the SDA would cease to exist.
However, the defunct SDA’s chief noted that it was transpired, prima facie, that the authority defined in Section 2(b) of the ordinance would cease to exist after the completion of transfer of process of all industrial estates or economic zones to the EZDMC formally.
“In other words, the board of directors of SDA will transfer all the assets and liabilities including industrial estates and economic zones to the company,” he said.
Mr. Jadoon said while Section 3 of the ordinance made the formal declaration of the transfer of industrial estates, whereas the actual transfer governed by sections 4 and 5 of the ordinance, which covered the dynamic and methods of the process, especially Section 5 about employees was qualified one since it talked about completion of option process was 60 days.
He noted that the defunct authority had also acquired land in Chitral and Mansehra for setting up industrial estates and had already deposited the costs of land.
The defunct SDA’s chief said both the schemes had not been mentioned or reflected in the ordinance’s schedule, where 10 industrial estates which were handed over to the company were named.
He said it had yet to be clarified what to do with the two schemes.
Mr. Jadoon pointed out that Section 4 of the ordinance provided for the transfer of industrial estates to the company only, whereas the law was silent about the status of the SDA head office located in Peshawar Saddar area, which also needed to be clarified through legislation.
He also said it might be clarified that whether the assets of the authority were to be transferred on book value or market value to be determined by the professional chartered accountant.
“In order to proceed further, the authority may be advised on the above-mentioned points and that if deemed appropriate, the law department may also be consulted in this regard to avoid further complications,” he added.
However, a relevant official questioned the soundness of the letter’s contents declaring them ‘uncalled-for’.
He said when the ordinance was being drafted, the SDA high-ups were repeatedly asked to point out issues which they thought could create problems in future but they opted to remain silent at that time.
The official said now when the ordinance had been promulgated, the SDA men had begun to cause a stir unnecessarily.
He said the definition of the ‘asset’ contained in the ordinance covered both industrial zones pointed out by the authority as well as the future of its (SDA) head office.
The official however agreed that the ordinance was silent about the valuation of assets and said that problem needed to be addressed through an amendment to the ordinance.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277422/sda-dissolution-runs-into-legal-complications
[h=2]Khyber students seek release of scholarship
[/h]PESHAWAR: College and university students belonging to Khyber Agency have expressed concern over the non-imbursement of annual scholarship to them and demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to help resolve the issue.
Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday, a leader of Pakhtun Students Federation Abid Afridi said that the scholarship had been pending for second consecutive year and as a result many poor students had to say goodbye to their studies.
Mr Abid said that students had time and again visited the relevant offices, but they were yet to get any satisfactory answer in this regard. Flanked by other PkSF officer-bearers, including general secretary Adnan Samiullah and senior vice-president Irshad Afridi, he pointed out that the scholarship had been released to students in other tribal regions, but in Khyber Agency it was yet to be paid.
He demanded of the Khyber Agency political administration to take steps for the release of annual scholarship to the students. He warned that if the demand was not accepted immediately they would stage protest sit-in outside office of political agent and would also launch a protest campaign.
Mr Abid said that about 3,000 students of the agency studying in different colleges and universities had been affected by suspension of the annual scholarship.
He said that the scholarship was given to the Fata students since independence of the country on regular basis, but it was stopped in 2015 due to unknown reasons.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 20
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277274/khyber-students-seek-release-of-scholarship
[h=2]Karak tehsil council approves Rs210m deficit budget
[/h] KARAK: Tehsil Council Karak on Friday approved the deficit budget for the year 2016-17 with a total outlay Rs210 million. The council suggested new taxes to improve the week financial position of the tehsil municipal administration, Karak.
The budget session was held with convener Jehanzeb Khattak in the chair. All members of the council attended the meeting.
Tehsil Nazim Haji Abdul Wahab Khattak presented the budget, and claimed that the total income of the tehsil council was Rs190 million and rest of the Rs20 million was the deficit. He said Rs110 million had been set aside as development budget and Rs90 million as non-development budget.
The tehsil nazim stressed the need to explore new resources of income to meet the budget deficit, and resolved to utilise all the available resources with utmost care for uplift of the area.
While expressing viewpoints on the budget after the budget speech the members of the council, both treasury and opposition, suggested to levy new taxes on crushing plants, petrol pumps and rickshaws to broaden the tax net to increase resources of the administration. They also suggested imposing new taxes on commercial plazas.
ANP FLAYS PTI GOVT: ANP has said that the PTI-led provincial government has failed to bring improvement in people’s lives.
The claim was made by party’s provincial joint secretary Khursheed Khattak, district president Sajjad Ahmad Khan and district general secretary Qudrat Ali Khattak while addressing a condolence reference held here on Friday to remember the victims of the Babra, Peshawar incident, here on Friday.
The speakers regretted that the government was so inefficient that it could not even fully utilise the developmental budget, which lapsed every lapsed. They claimed that ministers were inaugurating the uplift schemes initiated by the previous ANP government.
They said some political parties were politicking on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and said that after the inclusion of Mianwali and DI Khan in the CPEC Imran Khan and Maulana Fazlur Rehman kept mum over the mega project.
OUTLAWS HELD: Police claimed to have arrested two robbers and a proclaimed offender who had escaped from the police custody.
A press release issued on Friday said two robbers identified as Mohammad Taib and Kashif Ali snatched earrings and mobile phone from a woman while she was on her way to home in Gandeeri Khattak area. They said on the complaint, the Takht-i-Nusrati police arrested both the robbers and recovered earrings and mobile phone from their possession.
Meanwhile, police also arrested a notorious PO identified as Zar Bakth Ali in Chambi area, and recovered a Kalashnikov, two hand grenades and 65 cartridges from him.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277272/karak-tehsil-council-approves-rs210m-deficit-budget
[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not been able to develop dental health services at grassroots level despite availability of specialist surgeons, according to sources.
There are only 210 dental surgeons against 6,000 medical doctors in the public sector hospitals of the province. It shows the lack of attention by the government towards dental health services.
Officials, however, claim that 67 new posts of dental surgeons have been created that also include specialists, who will be posted at the district headquarters hospitals (DHQs).
[h=4]There are only 210 dental surgeons in the province[/h]
“The current situation with regard to dental care services at government hospitals is not up to the desired level,” said sources. They said that health department sanctioned 26 posts of dental surgeons in 2015 and 25 posts in 2016. They added that the province inducted 500 students in four public sector and five private colleges but new posts were not created.
There is one dental surgeon each at rural health centre, tehsil quarters hospital and district headquarters hospital. The dental surgeons face sterilisation issues at those health facilities because of non-availability of autoclave machine, which costs only Rs400, 000, to prevent cross-infection.
The province has employed about 35 dental specialists while as many specialists are jobless, work in private hospitals or have proceeded abroad.
About 100 trained medical officers (TMOs) are getting postgraduate training in seven specialties in Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD). At least 15 TMOs pass out every year who can be appointed as dental specialists in DHQs to facilitate local population and lessen load of patients on Peshawar hospitals where dental services are concentrated.
The director-general health services demolished a post of deputy director (dental), who was focal person for the matters about dentistry and used to point out needs of dental surgeons to the government. The dental affairs have been run by a clerk since 2002.
Dr Tariq Khan, an assistant professor at KCD, said that lack of facilities and awareness about oral hygiene was resulting in high prevalence of diseases in rural areas.
“About 60 per cent population face teeth decay and gum diseases due to lack of facilities. We have found school students with problems which are curable at the early age,” he said.
Dr Tariq said that they visited schools and targeted students aged five to 15 years and persuaded them to take precautions about their teeth to lead quality life. He said that regular checkups every three months was mandatory to stay safe but people came to them when they felt toothache.
“Tooth preservation requires regular brushing and cleanliness,” Dr Tariq said, adding that some diseases were not painful due to which they snowballed into major problems.
The KCD, being the oldest facility in the province, is also facing problems.
Although political intervention in the institution with regard to appointments, promotions and selection etc has ended after enforcement of Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015yet the college’s plan to recruit 35 staffers and start evening OPD and institution-based practice and begin round-the-clock laboratory services is yet to see light of the day.
The finance department returned a request for the new posts, asking the college to contact Board of Governors of the medical teaching institution. On the instruction of BoG, it has now demanded 10 posts, which are yet to be sanctioned.
KCD Principal Prof Ghulam Rasool said they received Rs340 million one-line budget from the government annually, bulk of which went to salaries of staff and nothing was left for development.
“More than 400 patients visit the facility per day. They are tested for hepatitis before carrying out the procedures, including filling, extraction etc, free of cost,” he said.
A new building, to be completed at a cost of Rs373 million will ease the load. The 28-bed KCD has 30 specialists but has not made new appointments since 1991.
The government spends Rs5 million on graduates and Rs5 million on training of TMOs but their services were not acquired.
The college administration is also concerned about requirements of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to save the facility from being derecognised.
Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277628/kp-govt-fails-to-expand-dental-health-services
[h=2]Centre not giving KP due share of electricity: CM
[/h]MINGORA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Saturday that his government had put the province on the path of development and prosperity and soon the whole country would witness real change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He was addressing a big gathering at the inaugural ceremony of 150KW mini hydropower project (MHP) at Lalkoo area of Matta tehsil in Swat. The power project was constructed by Sarhad Rural Support Programme in collaboration with the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo).
“In the first phase our government will complete 356 mini hydropower units in the northern districts of KP and in the second phase work on 1,000 more units will be started which will make the province free of loadshedding,” he said.
[h=4]Khattak inaugurates 150KW hydropower project in Swat[/h]
Criticising the federal government, Mr Khattak said that it had been giving the KP only 10 per cent of its due 13 and half per cent share of electricity since 2010.
The chief minister said that the federal government was deliberately observing power loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Soon we will close all the Pesco offices in the province against the undue power loadshedding,” he said, adding that PML-N’s Amir Muqam should first give its due right of electricity to Swat, but he would not do so as he only wanted chair.
Lalkoo ─Photo by author
He claimed that 300 million trees of the one billion trees project had already been planted and 300 million more trees would be planted. “The one billion tree plantation project will be a historical project in the country which will bring change in real sense not only in the province, but also in the entire country,” he said.
Mr Khattak said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government was successfully implementing its agenda of change in the province in which systems of the institutions were being streamlined. “We are bringing public-centered policies and have brought revolutionary reforms in police, health and education departments,” he said.
He also approved some projects for the valley, including land for a graveyard, a BHU, 13km road from Sakhra to Gabina Jabba, land for the Khpal Kor Foundation at Matta and Rokhana Pakhtunkhwa Programme in Swat. The local communities in Lalkoo valley thanked the SRSP and government for constructing the MHP and approving other projects in their area.
The 150kW mini hydropower project at Bar Lalko area in Sakhra valley of Matta tehsil was constructed with the total cost of Rs24.64 million which will illuminate about 700 houses in the area. The groundbreaking ceremony of the MHP was attended by PTI chairman Imran Khan.
The Lalko MHP is part of ‘The Construction of 356 Mini/Micro Hydro Power Projects in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’, under which 105 power units are under construction in Swat, Shangla and Kohistan districts. Of the 105 units, 45 are being constructed in Swat and 18 of them have so far been completed.
Later, the chief minister inaugurated the Rescue 1122 in Saidu Sharif, Swat.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277416/centre-not-giving-kp-due-share-of-electricity-cm
[h=2]SDA dissolution runs into legal complications
[/h] PESHAWAR: High-ups at the defunct Sarhad Development Authority (SDA) have pointed out complications in the dissolution of the authority and the handing over of its assets to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (EZDMC).
On July 22, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had promulgated an ordinance to dissolve the SDA and hand over its assets to the EZDMC.
The ordinance was issued after the Peshawar High Court declared the transfer of the authority’s assets to company illegal in March this year, as the SDA was set up under an assembly act and could not dispensed through the executive order.
However, defunct SDA’s chairman Sajid Jadoon has written a letter to the industries secretary pointing out legal issues and complications in the promulgation of the KP Taking Over of Industrial Estates or Economic Zones Ordinance 2016.
The July 28 letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, notes that the SDA was set up under the relevant 1972 Act for boosting economic activity and creating job opportunities in the province.
[h=4]Ordinance silent on valuation of defunct authority’s assets, two industrial estate schemes[/h]
In the letter, Mr. Jadoon said the KP government had promulgated the ordinance on July 22, which required the transfer of SDA assets and liabilities along with its employees to the EZDMC.
He said Section 3 of the ordinance stated that all industrial estates or economic zones mentioned in the schedule thereto would stand transferred to the authority to the company and that the SDA would cease to exist.
However, the defunct SDA’s chief noted that it was transpired, prima facie, that the authority defined in Section 2(b) of the ordinance would cease to exist after the completion of transfer of process of all industrial estates or economic zones to the EZDMC formally.
“In other words, the board of directors of SDA will transfer all the assets and liabilities including industrial estates and economic zones to the company,” he said.
Mr. Jadoon said while Section 3 of the ordinance made the formal declaration of the transfer of industrial estates, whereas the actual transfer governed by sections 4 and 5 of the ordinance, which covered the dynamic and methods of the process, especially Section 5 about employees was qualified one since it talked about completion of option process was 60 days.
He noted that the defunct authority had also acquired land in Chitral and Mansehra for setting up industrial estates and had already deposited the costs of land.
The defunct SDA’s chief said both the schemes had not been mentioned or reflected in the ordinance’s schedule, where 10 industrial estates which were handed over to the company were named.
He said it had yet to be clarified what to do with the two schemes.
Mr. Jadoon pointed out that Section 4 of the ordinance provided for the transfer of industrial estates to the company only, whereas the law was silent about the status of the SDA head office located in Peshawar Saddar area, which also needed to be clarified through legislation.
He also said it might be clarified that whether the assets of the authority were to be transferred on book value or market value to be determined by the professional chartered accountant.
“In order to proceed further, the authority may be advised on the above-mentioned points and that if deemed appropriate, the law department may also be consulted in this regard to avoid further complications,” he added.
However, a relevant official questioned the soundness of the letter’s contents declaring them ‘uncalled-for’.
He said when the ordinance was being drafted, the SDA high-ups were repeatedly asked to point out issues which they thought could create problems in future but they opted to remain silent at that time.
The official said now when the ordinance had been promulgated, the SDA men had begun to cause a stir unnecessarily.
He said the definition of the ‘asset’ contained in the ordinance covered both industrial zones pointed out by the authority as well as the future of its (SDA) head office.
The official however agreed that the ordinance was silent about the valuation of assets and said that problem needed to be addressed through an amendment to the ordinance.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277422/sda-dissolution-runs-into-legal-complications
[h=2]Khyber students seek release of scholarship
[/h]PESHAWAR: College and university students belonging to Khyber Agency have expressed concern over the non-imbursement of annual scholarship to them and demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to help resolve the issue.
Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday, a leader of Pakhtun Students Federation Abid Afridi said that the scholarship had been pending for second consecutive year and as a result many poor students had to say goodbye to their studies.
Mr Abid said that students had time and again visited the relevant offices, but they were yet to get any satisfactory answer in this regard. Flanked by other PkSF officer-bearers, including general secretary Adnan Samiullah and senior vice-president Irshad Afridi, he pointed out that the scholarship had been released to students in other tribal regions, but in Khyber Agency it was yet to be paid.
He demanded of the Khyber Agency political administration to take steps for the release of annual scholarship to the students. He warned that if the demand was not accepted immediately they would stage protest sit-in outside office of political agent and would also launch a protest campaign.
Mr Abid said that about 3,000 students of the agency studying in different colleges and universities had been affected by suspension of the annual scholarship.
He said that the scholarship was given to the Fata students since independence of the country on regular basis, but it was stopped in 2015 due to unknown reasons.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 20
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277274/khyber-students-seek-release-of-scholarship
[h=2]Karak tehsil council approves Rs210m deficit budget
[/h] KARAK: Tehsil Council Karak on Friday approved the deficit budget for the year 2016-17 with a total outlay Rs210 million. The council suggested new taxes to improve the week financial position of the tehsil municipal administration, Karak.
The budget session was held with convener Jehanzeb Khattak in the chair. All members of the council attended the meeting.
Tehsil Nazim Haji Abdul Wahab Khattak presented the budget, and claimed that the total income of the tehsil council was Rs190 million and rest of the Rs20 million was the deficit. He said Rs110 million had been set aside as development budget and Rs90 million as non-development budget.
The tehsil nazim stressed the need to explore new resources of income to meet the budget deficit, and resolved to utilise all the available resources with utmost care for uplift of the area.
While expressing viewpoints on the budget after the budget speech the members of the council, both treasury and opposition, suggested to levy new taxes on crushing plants, petrol pumps and rickshaws to broaden the tax net to increase resources of the administration. They also suggested imposing new taxes on commercial plazas.
ANP FLAYS PTI GOVT: ANP has said that the PTI-led provincial government has failed to bring improvement in people’s lives.
The claim was made by party’s provincial joint secretary Khursheed Khattak, district president Sajjad Ahmad Khan and district general secretary Qudrat Ali Khattak while addressing a condolence reference held here on Friday to remember the victims of the Babra, Peshawar incident, here on Friday.
The speakers regretted that the government was so inefficient that it could not even fully utilise the developmental budget, which lapsed every lapsed. They claimed that ministers were inaugurating the uplift schemes initiated by the previous ANP government.
They said some political parties were politicking on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and said that after the inclusion of Mianwali and DI Khan in the CPEC Imran Khan and Maulana Fazlur Rehman kept mum over the mega project.
OUTLAWS HELD: Police claimed to have arrested two robbers and a proclaimed offender who had escaped from the police custody.
A press release issued on Friday said two robbers identified as Mohammad Taib and Kashif Ali snatched earrings and mobile phone from a woman while she was on her way to home in Gandeeri Khattak area. They said on the complaint, the Takht-i-Nusrati police arrested both the robbers and recovered earrings and mobile phone from their possession.
Meanwhile, police also arrested a notorious PO identified as Zar Bakth Ali in Chambi area, and recovered a Kalashnikov, two hand grenades and 65 cartridges from him.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277272/karak-tehsil-council-approves-rs210m-deficit-budget
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
KP ordinance ends discretionary powers of officials on mine licensing
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has promulgated the KP Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Ordinance 2016 to do away with the discretionary powers of officials at district level on exploration licensing and create an authority to facilitate investment in the sector.
It also announced it was going to lift the ban on fresh mine explorations in the province.
A media briefing was organised at the Chief Minister’s House here on Thursday about the ordinance with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and mines minister Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli in attendance.
The government claimed the ordinance, which repealed the mines and mineral related portion of the Regulation of Mines and Oilfield and Mineral Development (government control) Act 1948, would help better regulate the mines and mineral sector in the province.
[h=4]Govt says lifting ban on fresh explorations[/h]
Though the ordinance was issued on July 25 as disclosed by the CM, the government kept under wraps and even its copies were emailed to journalists after the briefing.
It is the third ordinance promulgated by the government since July 22. Ironically, the provincial assembly has been in session since August 3.
On July 22, the government had promulgated an ordinance to take over the Sarhad Development Authority assets by the KP Economic Zones Development and Management Company, while the Police Ordinance was issued on August 1.
Mr. Khattak defended the practice saying it provides the government with a window to test loopholes in the law without wasting time, as it takes too much time in the assembly.
He said under the new law, income of the department would jump to Rs2 billion from the current Rs700 million.
Section 3 of the ordinance provides for the setting up of the KP Mineral Investment Facilitation Authority to be headed by the relevant minister and have 13 members.
“The authority will provide strategic leadership and guidance to the department and lay down policy for investment and program for mineral sector development besides others functions. The committee will meet four times a year.”
Section 6 of the ordinance provides for the formation of the KP Mineral Titles Committee to be headed by the secretary for mines and mineral development department and having six other members.
The committee will be tasked with granting licences and mining leases and their cancellations; lying down process and procedure for awards of licenses and mining leases and supervision and regulation of mining operations in the province through specific or general written instruments and overseeing enforcement of laws, rules and regulations relating to mines and minerals in the provinces besides other duties.
Under the section 9 of the ordinance, two types of licenses including reconnaissance license for a period of one year over an up to 1000 square kilometers and exploration licenses for a period of five years over an area up to 500 square kilometers.
Schedule V of the ordinance lists offences which require court trial while schedule VI lists offences where challan could be issued.
Ms Tahirkheli told reporters that the mining department was earlier run under 1948 Act, which did not met current requirements.
She said KP had been the first province to enact its own law since the subject had been devolved to provinces following the 18th amendment.
The minister said the new law laid down greater emphasis on transparency and will encourage investors. She said previously, under the Mining Concessions Rules 2005 the department was unable to punish violators as courts did not accept department plea for punishment under rules.
She said the new law suggested punishment for violations.
The minister said under the law, the department had also done away with discretionary powers enjoyed by small-time officials at district level and the leasing power would be exercised by a committee headed by the relevant secretary.
“Under the law, a lease holder cannot get license for more than three sites at a time. It takes too much time to pass an act from the assembly so we’ve to issue an ordinance,” she said.
Ms Tahirkheli said a notification would be issued by Friday to end the ban on the mining explorations in the province,” mines minister Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli said.
The issuance of new licences for mineral exploration was banned in July 2013.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1277109/kp...tionary-powers-of-officials-on-mine-licensing
[h=2]KP police facing shortage of officers
[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have been facing acute shortage of officers which has direct bearing on their fight against terrorism and militancy.
According to an official statement issued here on Thursday, the provincial police had approached the Home and Tribal Affairs Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to meet the acute shortage of officers so they could maintain the operational capability of the units established for curbing militancy.
The province needs five additional inspectors general, while only two are available at present. In the rank of deputy inspector general, only eight officers are presently working against 18 sanctioned posts. Similarly, against 35 sanctioned posts of SSPs only 17 are presently available.
The shortage of officers in the rank of SP is more glaring and of 78 sanctioned posts only 57 are available, the statement adds. Keeping in view the threats and recent terrorist attacks, the KP police have urged the home and tribal affairs department to approach the federal government to post PSP officers in the province to meet the deficiency and cope with the challenges of militancy.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2016
[url]http://www.dawn.com/news/1277108/kp-police-facing-shortage-of-officers
[/URL][h=2]Real estate business on decline in Peshawar
[/h]PESHAWAR: The real estate business is on the decline in Peshawar as amidst increase in returning of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan during last few weeks rumours are also in circulation about departure of most of the refugees after Eidul Azha next month.
Uncertainty has gripped property market in the provincial capital. Prices and rental rates have started falling down in posh localities like Hayatabad where Afghans have large concentration. The dealers forecast heavy slump in the real estate sector if Afghans go back to their country.
Information gathered from the market show that rent of five-merla house has jumped down from Rs30,000 to Rs25,000 in Hayatabad where roughly 40 per cent of the population is Afghans. The dealers are looking for new clients since Afghans have vacated residential quarters.
[h=4]Prices of properties falling down with increase in return of Afghans[/h]
“Local clients offer Rs22,000 for five-merla house in Phase-I of Hayatabad,” said Yawar Khattak, who is running real estate business. He said that despite fall in rents, customers were not available to get occupation of houses in the township.
“Rents and price of properties might slowdown further in coming weeks because large numbers of Afghan clients are planning to move back to Afghanistan after the coming Eid,” said Mr Khattak.
The repatriation of Afghans and tight border management at Torkham border crossing point has already shaken private health facilities in Peshawar. Decline in Afghan patients has forced employers to relieve their surplus staff. Afghan patients have been coming to Peshawar for treatment.
Mohammad Sajjad, another property dealer, said that property prices had witnessed slight shortfall and rate of five-merla house in the township had witnessed 10 to 15 per cent decrease. He predicted that like rental rates, prices of properties would also go down if Afghans went back.
Real estate business had witnessed unprecedented boom in Peshawar after people from tribal areas and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shifted their families and business to the provincial capital owing to militancy and subsequent military operations. This large scale migration also resulted in unplanned construction of housing schemes all around the provincial capital.
Property prices had also witnessed sharp decline in Peshawar when US-led Nato forces had overthrown Taliban regime in the neighbouring country. Over three million Afghan refugees wound up their businesses and went back to Afghanistan. The property market became stable after the arrival of internally displaced persons.
Peshawar has been housing major concentration of registered and unregistered Afghan nationals. The UNHCR’s statistics show that around one million registered refugees are residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of whom 52 per cent have settled in Peshawar alone. They have established businesses in different sectors including real estate.
According to the data collected by the provincial government, more than 12,000 Afghan nationals have purchased immovable properties in Peshawar on fake documents. Majority of the Afghans have purchased properties and established businesses in the name of local people.
Inayat Rehman, a native of Kabul, has purchased three shops in Board Bazaar, a major hub of Afghan refugees in the city, in the name of a local person. He has made up his mind to wind up business and shift his investment to Kabul after Eid.
“Afghans are my customers. What will I do here if they go back to Afghanistan,” questioned Mr Rehman, who migrated from Kabul to Peshawar in 1981. He said that Afghans vacated shops in Board Bazaar and returned to their country few weeks ago after selling their properties.
The Afghans, particularly those who do not have refugee status, are selling their properties and household items in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as federal government has fixed November 15 as last date for return of undocumented and December 31 for registered Afghans. Police are raiding their houses in urban, semi-urban and rural areas of the province and they are allegedly harassed.
Average 500 families are registering themselves at the voluntary repatriation centre in Chamkani everyday for getting cash assistance of $400 per head. Reports suggest that Afghans are selling their moveable and immoveable properties at throwaway prices.
One Afghan investor sold his superstore at Rs10 million in the city. A doctor, who belongs to Kabul, said that he sold household items and would shift to his country before Eid.
Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1276812/real-estate-business-on-decline-in-peshawar
[h=2]PA amends local govt law amid protest by opposition
[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday approved amendments to the local government law amid protest by opposition lawmakers, who termed the changes controversial.
“The government wants to harass its opponents and defend its own nazims of the district and tehsil/town councils,” the opposition lawmakers said. They raised objections over the amendments, saying the house was empowered to make laws for the interest of masses in general rather than a few influential people having their affiliation with the parties in the government.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2016 was approved by the house. The bill was tabled by Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan.
Previously a nazim of district and tehsil/town council was bound to seek vote of confidence if he failed to pass annual budget from the respective council. Under the amended law, a nazim would seek vote of confidence if he failed to approve the first budget while this condition has been abolished for the remaining years of his tenure.
For this purpose an amendment was incorporated in Section 84 of the law, which states: “---for the words ‘approve the budget’, the words ‘approve the first budget’ shall be constituted.”
Through another amendment, which was incorporated in Section 79 of the law, the condition of electing nazim of district and tehisli/town councils in at least three sittings was also abolished.
Prior to this amendment the district and tehsil/town councils were bound to elects their nazims in three sittings otherwise the respective council would have been dissolved and matter had to be referred to Election Commission of Pakistan for holding fresh elections.
Leader of Opposition Maulana Lutfur Rehman criticised the PTI-led provincial government, saying laws were made for the masses in general not for the benefit of a few people. “Amendments in LG law are incorporated to defend some district and tehsil nazims, who are in trouble to pass their annual budgets,” he said.
Mr Rehman asked the local government minister as to what was the logic of binding a district nazim to take vote of confidence if he failed to pass the budget while he (nazim) would not be required to do so in the remaining years of his tenure in the same situation.
The leader of the opposition alleged that provincial government wanted to terminate the district nazim of Mardan, who belonged to ANP, and defend the nazim of Der Ismail Khan, who was brother of a minister, though the legislation.
“It is not fair to misuse this august house as such amendments, incorporated in the law through ordinance, have already been challenged in Peshawar High Court,” said Mr Rehman.
He said that provincial law department had expressed observation over those amendments when the law was forwarded to it for vetting, but in vain.
Sardar Hussain Babak, the parliamentary leader of ANP, said that introducing amendments in the laws became order of the day. He said that many laws approved by the house were challenged in Peshawar High Court because such laws were passed with mala fide intention of the provincial government.
The house also unanimously passed a resolution demanding of the federal government to declare July 8, on which Abdul Sattar Edhi died, as “charity day” for his tireless work.
The joint resolution was moved by PTI lawmaker Zareen Zai. Tabling the resolution, she said that known philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi had devoted his entire life to help the helpless and poor people of the country. The resolution was also supported by other members of the treasury and opposition benches.
Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1276811/pa-amends-local-govt-law-amid-protest-by-opposition
[h=2]
[/h]
The Pakistani Media is mostly biased.You can watch any channel same bullshitt. No quality,same old Jahil self proclaimed journalists with same old liars and bullshitters from the so called Parliament in Islamabad.They make their million rupee a month paycheck with the same old talk show stories.There could be 100 other topics like Nature programs,history,technology,Travel,and many more .Watching Pakistani Chanells is wasting life.
Last edited:
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
They are mere drawing room journalist / anchors . They got no clue about KP which is in Pakistan. Even most experienced journalist like Haroon Rasheed, talks about internal conflicts and personal information . They don't discuss policies. Last but not least,
Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
August 16 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
August 17 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
18 aUGUST 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
August 19 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Milestone: Container school in Lakki Marwat inspected
PESHAWAR: The first-ever container school in Lakki Marwat was inspected by Elementary and Secondary Minister for Education Muhammad Atif Khan.
Although the minister has given the green signal for the project, experts will now evaluate the pilot project.
In this budget for 2016-17, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government has approved 200 smart schools. The first school has been set up in the shape of a container in Lakki Marwat. The provincial government completed the project with the support of World Bank at a cost of Rs12.5 million.
The first container school was established in Lakki Marwat. After approval of technical experts and engineers, the tender would be advertised for 200 more schools. The schools will be established for disaster-hit areas such as Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, Shangla, Kohistan and Torghar.
Perks and benefits
Speaking to The Express Tribune on Wednesday, Najiullah Khattak, the media adviser of the provincial government’s media cell, confirmed Muhammad Atif’s visit to Lakki Marwat to inspect the initiative.
“The minister was accompanied by the education secretary and additional secretary,” he said. “They appreciated the efforts of those involved in the project.”
According to Khattak, the container school was equipped with facilities and would provide quality education to children across the province.
“The container school will be built at a comparatively low cost,” he said. “It will be completed over a short span of time.”
The media adviser added the container school will remain mobile and shift from one place to another.
“The estimated construction cost of a regular school is Rs12.75 million,” he said. “Meanwhile, the container schools could be established in Rs12.5 million.”
Khattak said the school will be completed in 25 days.
“Each school will comprise six classrooms and six teachers,” he added.
The media adviser told The Express Tribune solar power units would be installed to avoid disruption of classes due to prolonged power outages.
“Multimedia facilities will also be provided at the facility,” he said. “The schools will also have air-conditioners, water coolers, play area and biometric system.”
He said these schools will deliver education to the doorstep of every child and reduce the number of out-of-school children.
“Locals of several areas complained about the lack of schools,” he said. “These facilities will resolve the challenges faced by people. Containers schools can be set up anywhere over a short period of time. They can also be shifted to areas where they are most needed.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18[SUP]th[/SUP], 2016.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1164753/milestone-container-school-lakki-marwat-inspected/
PESHAWAR: The first-ever container school in Lakki Marwat was inspected by Elementary and Secondary Minister for Education Muhammad Atif Khan.
Although the minister has given the green signal for the project, experts will now evaluate the pilot project.
In this budget for 2016-17, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government has approved 200 smart schools. The first school has been set up in the shape of a container in Lakki Marwat. The provincial government completed the project with the support of World Bank at a cost of Rs12.5 million.
The first container school was established in Lakki Marwat. After approval of technical experts and engineers, the tender would be advertised for 200 more schools. The schools will be established for disaster-hit areas such as Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, Shangla, Kohistan and Torghar.
Perks and benefits
Speaking to The Express Tribune on Wednesday, Najiullah Khattak, the media adviser of the provincial government’s media cell, confirmed Muhammad Atif’s visit to Lakki Marwat to inspect the initiative.
“The minister was accompanied by the education secretary and additional secretary,” he said. “They appreciated the efforts of those involved in the project.”
According to Khattak, the container school was equipped with facilities and would provide quality education to children across the province.
“The container school will be built at a comparatively low cost,” he said. “It will be completed over a short span of time.”
The media adviser added the container school will remain mobile and shift from one place to another.
“The estimated construction cost of a regular school is Rs12.75 million,” he said. “Meanwhile, the container schools could be established in Rs12.5 million.”
Khattak said the school will be completed in 25 days.
“Each school will comprise six classrooms and six teachers,” he added.
The media adviser told The Express Tribune solar power units would be installed to avoid disruption of classes due to prolonged power outages.
“Multimedia facilities will also be provided at the facility,” he said. “The schools will also have air-conditioners, water coolers, play area and biometric system.”
He said these schools will deliver education to the doorstep of every child and reduce the number of out-of-school children.
“Locals of several areas complained about the lack of schools,” he said. “These facilities will resolve the challenges faced by people. Containers schools can be set up anywhere over a short period of time. They can also be shifted to areas where they are most needed.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18[SUP]th[/SUP], 2016.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1164753/milestone-container-school-lakki-marwat-inspected/
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Implementation of Police Ordinance 2016 sought
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police department has asked the provincial home department for early implementation of the KP Police Ordinance 2016.
The ordinance promulgated on August 1 could not be tabled in the provincial assembly on Monday, the last day of session, though it was on the house agenda.
A statement issued here said that the KP police had sent a letter to the home department stating that the KP Police Ordinance 2016 had been promulgated and notified on August 1, 2016.
The letter says that this ordinance is of vital importance and its early implementation is needed in the best public interest. It reads that in order to make the ordinance operational and ensure timely establishment of various bodies under it, an implementation commissioner may be appointed as required under Section 144 of the ordinance.
It says that though certain initiatives institutionalised through the ordinance are on the ground, yet a number of bodies are required to be established under the ordinance.
It is requested that the process for establishment of Public Safety Commission and Regional Complaint Authority may be initiated forthwith, the letter says, adding that in this behalf nomination of members from treasury and opposition benches of the provincial assembly and district assemblies under Section 47 (2), Section 50(2) and Section 52(2) for the Provincial Public Safety Commission and District Public Safety Commissions, respectively, must be started.
Likewise, scrutiny committees for selection of independent members may also be notified under Section 56 of the Ordinance and secretariats of the commissions and appointment of their secretaries may also be initiated, respectively, under Section 62, 63 and 64 of the Ordinance.
The letter stated that the process of selection of the members of Regional Police Complaint Authorities must be carried out under Section 66(3) and establishment of the secretariats of the authorities at regional headquarters and appointment of their secretaries be initiated under Section 70 of the Ordinance.
It requested that a meeting of the committee comprising DIG headquarters and a representative of law department, to be chaired by the home secretary, may be convened to work out modalities for implementing provisions of the ordinance.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278546/implementation-of-police-ordinance-2016-sought
KP to take up unbundling of gas companies at CCI
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has objected to the unbundling of the two national gas companies and creation of regional distribution companies in their place by the federal government and decided to take up the matter at the Council of Common Interest.
The decision was made by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak while chairing a meeting at the Chief Ministers House on the unbundling of gas companies.
A statement issued here on Thursday said the CM directed the relevant officials to move a summary to the CCI containing the recommendations of his government to safeguard the provinces interests in the gas sector.
The officials told participants that the federal government had decided unilaterally the unbundling of SNGPL and SSGC ignoring the consent of provinces through the Economic Coordination Committee.
They said the while exercise was meant to finance RLNG transmission and LNG imports to Punjab at the expense of other three provinces and that it was based on imports and not indigenous gas.
Govt says it will ensure protection of provinces interests in gas sector
The officials said the federal government had also hired the services of the World Bank to make the whole exercise credible.
They insisted according to the unbundling structure planned by the federal government, there would be one national company for transmission and four distribution companies at provincial level and as a result, financial losses would be compensated out of the provincial royalties, an act totally against the interests of KP.
The officials proposed that exploration, production, transmission and distribution be placed under single company controlled at provincial level through a cohesive system.
They said the KP government had 32pc and 53pc shares in SNGPL and SSGCL respectively and thus, giving it legal power to have its own company.
The chief minister told participants that his government would have to act quickly to safeguard the interests of the province at the CCI.
He authorised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa energy and power department to hold dialogue with the relevant federal government authorities and asked it to file a summary for the purpose.
In another meeting regarding the Peshawar Rapid Bus Service project, Mr. Khattak ordered the relevant authorities to identify different stations and sites for the proposed bus service to be initiated towards the end of the current year.
He directed the Peshawar commissioner, transport and local government secretaries and PDA director general to visit different corridors of the proposed Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit and identify the sites and stations.
There would be all facilities including waiting places, washrooms and water, he said.
The CM ordered the addition of an extra line in the proposed corridors BRT and said it should be completed within one month.
He said work on the corridors would begin this year and therefore, the relevant departments should finalise their arrangements so that the vehicular flow is unhindered.
Also in the day, the CM approved the restoration of the lapsed fund under the developmental strategy for all districts of the province.
He ordered the completion of the ongoing schemes in social sectors on priority basis as the government would provide resources for the ongoing projects in all the districts.
Presiding over a meeting about development strategy at district level, Mr. Khattak directed all deputy commissioners to fulfil all procedural requirements for the restoration of lapsed funds to continue the process of development in all districts of the province.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278545/kp-to-take-up-unbundling-of-gas-companies-at-cci
Rs1.7 billion to be spent on mother-child healthcare
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to spend Rs1.7 billion to improve maternal and child health services in the province as part of an integrated healthcare programme, which also focuses on immunisation, nutrition, and training of lady health workers.
For the first time, an integrated (health) programme has been made to avoid duplication of activities. All four programmes will get separate amount of money as a revised PC-1 is being made for them, head of the MNCH programme Dr Sahib Gul told Dawn.
He said the programme launched by the federal government in 2008 had deployed 1,340 community midwives, 46 women doctors and 98 LHWs in hospitals to give emergency obstetric care (EmOC) to women but it required funds to improve its services.
Due to the provinces financial assistance, we look forward to implement our plan to strengthen and expand scope of work, he said.
Dr Sahib Gul said the MNCH activities, which had suffered due to the shortage of federal funds, would get finances for medicines, training and equipments to ensure availability of services to mothers and neonates.
He said the government was implementing the programme with the monetary assistance of the Multi-Donor Trust Programme under which the district health officers and MNCH coordinators would identify gaps in mother and child health services to ensure 50 percent utilisation of facilities by women and children.
Sources in the health department said the MNCH programme would continue its activities to prevent deaths of mothers and newborns and that ambulance services would be provided in selected health facilities for prompt referral of complicated delivery cases to major facilities.
They said the government was also in consultation with the USAID for continuation of a mother and child healthcare project in seven districts of Malakand division.
The sources said the project began in 2012 but suffered after the ban on the Save the Children, which worked on behalf of USAID and assisted DHOs, in targeted districts, but it was being resumed to provide additional support to the militancy-hit districts.
They said the bidding for project was in progress to select NGOs to assist district heath.
We aim to developed Comprehensive EmOC services and provide care to both and child in government hospitals, a source said.
The officials said the programme consisted of the provision of trained staff, medicines, and equipment to the facilities at rural level in collaboration with the government.
They said Malakand division needed more assistance to ensure that pregnancy-related cases are handled by trained birth attendants and if needed those requiring tertiary care be transported to the nearest facility.
The officials said for better EmOC services, ambulance services were very important to save patients from delivery complications.
They said it all depended on the requirement of districts as many facilities needed ambulances.
The Taliban militants had snatched ambulances from the health department and destroyed 14 health facilities in Swat district from 2007 to 2009.
They had also threatened health workers, especially women nurses and staff, against working with men.
The officials said the awareness of mother and child health was also part of the programme.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278533/rs17-billion-to-be-spent-on-mother-child-healthcare
PHC suspends orders of RTI Commission
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday suspended the orders of Right to Information (RTI) Commission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the board of governors (BoG) Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, directing it to provide minutes of all their meetings to a local journalist.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Roohul Amin Khan suspended the orders of the Chief Information Commissioner of RTI Commission, in which he had directed the BoG of Ayub Teaching Hospital to provide minutes of their all meetings to local journalist Kausar Naqvi.
The court also issued notice to the RTI Commission to submit a reply in the case before next hearing. The bench passed these directions in a writ petition filed by the hospital BoG, in which they had challenged the orders of RTI Commission.
The petitioners lawyer, Zahid Idrees Mufti, submitted before the bench that the RTI Commission by accepting an application of a journalist had directed the BoG to provide all the information required to him. He pointed out that it was a policy matter and premature disclosure would harm the policy of the institute. The lawyer said that the journalist did not request for specific information, but for provision of all the minutes of BoG meeting, which was not acceptable even under the RTI law.
Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016
ttp://www.dawn.com/news/1278339/phc-suspends-orders-of-rti-commission
Swats major hospital short of facilities
MINGORA: Patients and their attendants here on Wednesday complained about the poor management and lack of facilities at the Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital.
Saidu Teaching Hospital is considered the largest hospital of Malakand division where a large number of patients come for treatment, not only from Swat district but also from Shangla, Buner, Dir and Chiltral districts.
They said that major mechanical equipment in the hospital had been lying non-functional and the staff was non-cooperative.
Even in the emergency unit the CT Scan machine is out of order. I asked the relevant staff about it and they angrily replied that it has some defect, a resident said.
Muslim Khan, a resident of Charbagh, who had rushed his injured brother to the hospital complained that he was unable to get timely medical service.
Patients attendants claim CT Scan at Saidu hospital is dysfunctional
Another attendant who had brought an injured patient was also standing confused in the emergency unit as the doctors had referred his patient to do CT Scan.
I shifted my injured and unconscious relative here hastily and the doctor referred him to conduct CT Scan two hours before, but the staff told me that the machine is nonfunctional due to loadshedding. My patient is bleeding, but the hospital staff does not care, claimed Aqal Zameen, a resident of Kabal tehsil. He said that there was no proper arrangement of generator during the loadshedding.
Many other patients and their relatives with them complained about lack of cleanliness.
The labour room and children ward are so dirty that nobody can even stay there for five minutes. At least the hospital must be very clean, said Amanullah Khan, an attendant who was with a female patient.
The attendants also complained about the arrogant behaviour of the hospital staff and claimed that they not only used rough language, but also pushed the patients if they insisted for service.
They claimed that the paramedical staff in the emergency unit did not provide facilities to patients. The higher authorities should take notice of the arrogant behavior of the paramedics and replace them with a well-mannered staff, said Fazal Rabi who had brought her ill daughter for first aid.
When contacted, deputy medical superintendent Dr Ayub said that there was a huge burden on the hospital and its staff as the inflow of patients was in millions annually. The inflow of patients is increasing day by day, but the staff and resources are the same. Despite this, our staff has been providing medical services to all the patients, he said.
Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278330/swats-major-hospital-short-of-facilities
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police department has asked the provincial home department for early implementation of the KP Police Ordinance 2016.
The ordinance promulgated on August 1 could not be tabled in the provincial assembly on Monday, the last day of session, though it was on the house agenda.
A statement issued here said that the KP police had sent a letter to the home department stating that the KP Police Ordinance 2016 had been promulgated and notified on August 1, 2016.
The letter says that this ordinance is of vital importance and its early implementation is needed in the best public interest. It reads that in order to make the ordinance operational and ensure timely establishment of various bodies under it, an implementation commissioner may be appointed as required under Section 144 of the ordinance.
It says that though certain initiatives institutionalised through the ordinance are on the ground, yet a number of bodies are required to be established under the ordinance.
It is requested that the process for establishment of Public Safety Commission and Regional Complaint Authority may be initiated forthwith, the letter says, adding that in this behalf nomination of members from treasury and opposition benches of the provincial assembly and district assemblies under Section 47 (2), Section 50(2) and Section 52(2) for the Provincial Public Safety Commission and District Public Safety Commissions, respectively, must be started.
Likewise, scrutiny committees for selection of independent members may also be notified under Section 56 of the Ordinance and secretariats of the commissions and appointment of their secretaries may also be initiated, respectively, under Section 62, 63 and 64 of the Ordinance.
The letter stated that the process of selection of the members of Regional Police Complaint Authorities must be carried out under Section 66(3) and establishment of the secretariats of the authorities at regional headquarters and appointment of their secretaries be initiated under Section 70 of the Ordinance.
It requested that a meeting of the committee comprising DIG headquarters and a representative of law department, to be chaired by the home secretary, may be convened to work out modalities for implementing provisions of the ordinance.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278546/implementation-of-police-ordinance-2016-sought
KP to take up unbundling of gas companies at CCI
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has objected to the unbundling of the two national gas companies and creation of regional distribution companies in their place by the federal government and decided to take up the matter at the Council of Common Interest.
The decision was made by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak while chairing a meeting at the Chief Ministers House on the unbundling of gas companies.
A statement issued here on Thursday said the CM directed the relevant officials to move a summary to the CCI containing the recommendations of his government to safeguard the provinces interests in the gas sector.
The officials told participants that the federal government had decided unilaterally the unbundling of SNGPL and SSGC ignoring the consent of provinces through the Economic Coordination Committee.
They said the while exercise was meant to finance RLNG transmission and LNG imports to Punjab at the expense of other three provinces and that it was based on imports and not indigenous gas.
Govt says it will ensure protection of provinces interests in gas sector
The officials said the federal government had also hired the services of the World Bank to make the whole exercise credible.
They insisted according to the unbundling structure planned by the federal government, there would be one national company for transmission and four distribution companies at provincial level and as a result, financial losses would be compensated out of the provincial royalties, an act totally against the interests of KP.
The officials proposed that exploration, production, transmission and distribution be placed under single company controlled at provincial level through a cohesive system.
They said the KP government had 32pc and 53pc shares in SNGPL and SSGCL respectively and thus, giving it legal power to have its own company.
The chief minister told participants that his government would have to act quickly to safeguard the interests of the province at the CCI.
He authorised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa energy and power department to hold dialogue with the relevant federal government authorities and asked it to file a summary for the purpose.
In another meeting regarding the Peshawar Rapid Bus Service project, Mr. Khattak ordered the relevant authorities to identify different stations and sites for the proposed bus service to be initiated towards the end of the current year.
He directed the Peshawar commissioner, transport and local government secretaries and PDA director general to visit different corridors of the proposed Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit and identify the sites and stations.
There would be all facilities including waiting places, washrooms and water, he said.
The CM ordered the addition of an extra line in the proposed corridors BRT and said it should be completed within one month.
He said work on the corridors would begin this year and therefore, the relevant departments should finalise their arrangements so that the vehicular flow is unhindered.
Also in the day, the CM approved the restoration of the lapsed fund under the developmental strategy for all districts of the province.
He ordered the completion of the ongoing schemes in social sectors on priority basis as the government would provide resources for the ongoing projects in all the districts.
Presiding over a meeting about development strategy at district level, Mr. Khattak directed all deputy commissioners to fulfil all procedural requirements for the restoration of lapsed funds to continue the process of development in all districts of the province.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278545/kp-to-take-up-unbundling-of-gas-companies-at-cci
Rs1.7 billion to be spent on mother-child healthcare
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to spend Rs1.7 billion to improve maternal and child health services in the province as part of an integrated healthcare programme, which also focuses on immunisation, nutrition, and training of lady health workers.
For the first time, an integrated (health) programme has been made to avoid duplication of activities. All four programmes will get separate amount of money as a revised PC-1 is being made for them, head of the MNCH programme Dr Sahib Gul told Dawn.
He said the programme launched by the federal government in 2008 had deployed 1,340 community midwives, 46 women doctors and 98 LHWs in hospitals to give emergency obstetric care (EmOC) to women but it required funds to improve its services.
Due to the provinces financial assistance, we look forward to implement our plan to strengthen and expand scope of work, he said.
Dr Sahib Gul said the MNCH activities, which had suffered due to the shortage of federal funds, would get finances for medicines, training and equipments to ensure availability of services to mothers and neonates.
He said the government was implementing the programme with the monetary assistance of the Multi-Donor Trust Programme under which the district health officers and MNCH coordinators would identify gaps in mother and child health services to ensure 50 percent utilisation of facilities by women and children.
Sources in the health department said the MNCH programme would continue its activities to prevent deaths of mothers and newborns and that ambulance services would be provided in selected health facilities for prompt referral of complicated delivery cases to major facilities.
They said the government was also in consultation with the USAID for continuation of a mother and child healthcare project in seven districts of Malakand division.
The sources said the project began in 2012 but suffered after the ban on the Save the Children, which worked on behalf of USAID and assisted DHOs, in targeted districts, but it was being resumed to provide additional support to the militancy-hit districts.
They said the bidding for project was in progress to select NGOs to assist district heath.
We aim to developed Comprehensive EmOC services and provide care to both and child in government hospitals, a source said.
The officials said the programme consisted of the provision of trained staff, medicines, and equipment to the facilities at rural level in collaboration with the government.
They said Malakand division needed more assistance to ensure that pregnancy-related cases are handled by trained birth attendants and if needed those requiring tertiary care be transported to the nearest facility.
The officials said for better EmOC services, ambulance services were very important to save patients from delivery complications.
They said it all depended on the requirement of districts as many facilities needed ambulances.
The Taliban militants had snatched ambulances from the health department and destroyed 14 health facilities in Swat district from 2007 to 2009.
They had also threatened health workers, especially women nurses and staff, against working with men.
The officials said the awareness of mother and child health was also part of the programme.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278533/rs17-billion-to-be-spent-on-mother-child-healthcare
PHC suspends orders of RTI Commission
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday suspended the orders of Right to Information (RTI) Commission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the board of governors (BoG) Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, directing it to provide minutes of all their meetings to a local journalist.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Roohul Amin Khan suspended the orders of the Chief Information Commissioner of RTI Commission, in which he had directed the BoG of Ayub Teaching Hospital to provide minutes of their all meetings to local journalist Kausar Naqvi.
The court also issued notice to the RTI Commission to submit a reply in the case before next hearing. The bench passed these directions in a writ petition filed by the hospital BoG, in which they had challenged the orders of RTI Commission.
The petitioners lawyer, Zahid Idrees Mufti, submitted before the bench that the RTI Commission by accepting an application of a journalist had directed the BoG to provide all the information required to him. He pointed out that it was a policy matter and premature disclosure would harm the policy of the institute. The lawyer said that the journalist did not request for specific information, but for provision of all the minutes of BoG meeting, which was not acceptable even under the RTI law.
Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016
ttp://www.dawn.com/news/1278339/phc-suspends-orders-of-rti-commission
Swats major hospital short of facilities
MINGORA: Patients and their attendants here on Wednesday complained about the poor management and lack of facilities at the Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital.
Saidu Teaching Hospital is considered the largest hospital of Malakand division where a large number of patients come for treatment, not only from Swat district but also from Shangla, Buner, Dir and Chiltral districts.
They said that major mechanical equipment in the hospital had been lying non-functional and the staff was non-cooperative.
Even in the emergency unit the CT Scan machine is out of order. I asked the relevant staff about it and they angrily replied that it has some defect, a resident said.
Muslim Khan, a resident of Charbagh, who had rushed his injured brother to the hospital complained that he was unable to get timely medical service.
Patients attendants claim CT Scan at Saidu hospital is dysfunctional
Another attendant who had brought an injured patient was also standing confused in the emergency unit as the doctors had referred his patient to do CT Scan.
I shifted my injured and unconscious relative here hastily and the doctor referred him to conduct CT Scan two hours before, but the staff told me that the machine is nonfunctional due to loadshedding. My patient is bleeding, but the hospital staff does not care, claimed Aqal Zameen, a resident of Kabal tehsil. He said that there was no proper arrangement of generator during the loadshedding.
Many other patients and their relatives with them complained about lack of cleanliness.
The labour room and children ward are so dirty that nobody can even stay there for five minutes. At least the hospital must be very clean, said Amanullah Khan, an attendant who was with a female patient.
The attendants also complained about the arrogant behaviour of the hospital staff and claimed that they not only used rough language, but also pushed the patients if they insisted for service.
They claimed that the paramedical staff in the emergency unit did not provide facilities to patients. The higher authorities should take notice of the arrogant behavior of the paramedics and replace them with a well-mannered staff, said Fazal Rabi who had brought her ill daughter for first aid.
When contacted, deputy medical superintendent Dr Ayub said that there was a huge burden on the hospital and its staff as the inflow of patients was in millions annually. The inflow of patients is increasing day by day, but the staff and resources are the same. Despite this, our staff has been providing medical services to all the patients, he said.
Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1278330/swats-major-hospital-short-of-facilities
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
20 August 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Aug 21 2016
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Aug 22 2016
