[h=2]KP Development Authority abolished[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has abolished the 44 years old Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Development Authority and transferred its assets and employees to the KP Economic Zones Development and Management Company.
The development came through the KP Taking Over of the Industrial Estate or Economic Zones Ordinance issued last Friday.
The ordinance was issued in line with the Peshawar High Court’s orders given early this year about the dissolution of the authority through an executive order.
According to Section 3 of the ordinance, on coming into force of this ordinance, all 10 industrial estates or economic zones in the province stand transferred from authority to the company and the authority shall cease to exist. [h=4]Govt issues ordinance to transfer KPDA assets, staff to Economic Zones Development and Management Company[/h] Section 4 notes that all assets, liabilities, bank accounts, claims, proceedings before judicial or quasi-judicial forums, mediators, and regulators along with all necessary records in so far as pertaining to the statutory and administrative functions of the authority, shall henceforth vest in the company to the extent of the industrial estates or economic zones.
About the status of the authority’s 318 employees, the ordinance says that on the commencement of this ordinance, all of them shall stand transferred to the company. However, it says the company shall give option to the employees either to continue to serve the company on their existing terms and conditions as specified in KPDA Rules 2015, made under the repealed act or to continue to serve the company on the terms and conditions given by the company including golden handshake.
It however also says the option shall be exercised within a period of 60 days and the option once exercised, shall be final.
Section 8 of this ordinance notes that KPDA Act 1973 is hereby repealed.
Promulgation of the ordinance also transferred 10 industrial estates or economic zones including Hattar phase VII, Rashkai/M-1, Jalozai, Ghazi, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Gadoon, Hayatabad and Nowshera to the KPEZDMC.
The KPDA also known as the Sarhad Development Authority (SDA) was set up under the KPDA Act 1973 with an objective of promoting economic and industrial development of the province and establishment of industrial estates or economic zones across the province.
The authority’s affairs were to be managed and administered by the board of directors headed by chairman, who were to be appointed by the government.
In March last year, the PTI-led government announced the disbanding of the authority and transfer of all its assets and employees to the KPEZMDC.
The EZDMC registered as non-profit organisation under the Companies Ordinance 1984 and owned by the KP government altogether was formally launched in August last year.
However, the disbanded authority’s employees challenged the move at the Peshawar High Court insisting on creation of the company assets worth billions of rupees were being transferred to the said company, while their services were being dispensed with.
In March 10, 2016, a PHC bench comprising Justice Nasir Hussain and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth had disposed of the petition.
In the detailed judgment, the bench declared the setting up of the company legal and within the domain of the provincial government. However, it declared the transfer of SDA assets to the company through the executive order illegal.
KDPA chairman Sajid Jadoon told Dawn that the handing over of authority’s assets would take a month or two as its assets valued billions of rupees. Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016
ESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided it will make several changes to the local government system in the province by giving nazims more powers, a say in the district development committee affairs and better discretionary funds.[/h]During a briefing at the Chief Minister’s House here, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak informed reporters about the activities and decisions of a high-powered committee tasked with improving the LG legal framework and operational arrangements.
The committee was headed by senior minister for local government Inayatullah Khan and had senior ministers for health and irrigation, chief secretary and local government and law secretaries as members.
The CM said he chaired a meeting of the committee on July 13 wherein its recommendations were approved. [h=4]CM says several changes to current local govt system at hand[/h] The minutes of the meeting shared with media suggest that the government is going to make changes to the local government framework at multiple levels, including planning and development (P&D) guidelines, LG Act and rules governing three tiers of the LG system.
Mr. Khattak said the committee had decided to empower district nazims in light of the LG Act 2013 and therefore, the LG Rules of Business 2015 and other related regulations would be amended to empower district nazims as given in Section 11-16 of the LG Act 2013.
The proposed amendment will wrest most power from the district bureaucracy, which the government gave them in the aftermath of the ruling party’s poor performance in the May 2015 LG elections.
The CM said changes would be made in priority areas shown in the P&D guidelines, while discretionary funds of district and tehsil governments would be increased.
He said the committee had decided to increase the district government’s discretionary funds from 25pc to 55pc and the tehsil government’s from 30pc to 50pc.
Mr. Khattak said there would be a ban on temporary and/or fixed pay or daily wages appointments at district levels except for those approved by the LG secretary.
He said in case of the first violation, a warning would be issued, while in the second instance, remuneration of temporary staffers would be recovered from the salary of defaulting officers.
The CM said amendments would be made to the P&D guidelines to give nazims more powers at district and tehsil levels.
Under the P&D guidelines, the deputy commissioner is the DDC chairperson and assistant commissioner concerned acts as the head of tehsil development committee.
However, amendments to the guidelines will put the district and tehsil nazims at the helm of these committees though the rest of the composition will remain the same. The deputy commissioner’s role will be reduced to a member’s.
Mr. Khattak said once the DDC approved a PC-I, the administrative approval would be issued by a deputy commissioner within a week but the DC could return it to the DDC for review on technical grounds.
He however said the DC would continue chairing the DDC meetings on the provincial government schemes at district levels.
The CM said at tehsil level, tehsil nazim would head the TDC, while rest of the committee composition would remain the same.
He said a committee of nazims headed by district nazim would monitor the performance of Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar and Water and Sanitation Services Company at divisional level against the already decided key performance indicators.
Mr. Khattak said TMA nazims would be the members of the boards of directors of the relevant WSSPs/WSSCs.
He said the LG Act 2013 would be amended to make enumeration of TMA employees and utility bills as first charged expenditure of those bodies.
“For TMAs, Provincial Finance Commission and octroi share will be transferred as one line transfer. The enumeration of TMA employees will be first charged on lump sum amount so received by TMA, liabilities will be second charged. The remaining funds will be utilised for development purposes,” he said.
The CM said it would be mandatory for heads of all devolved departments to attend meetings about which they had been informed or requested a week.
He said the limit of petrol for district nazim might be increased from 200 to 300 litres per month, while the allotment of 4x4 vehicles might be considered for nazims on the analogy of DDAC chairman’s vehicles.
Mr. Khattak said vehicles would also be given to naib nazim of the district council, district and tehsil councils secretaries 1000cc vehicles and assistant engineer van. Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2016
[h=1]Imran spells out agenda of change for K-P [/h]ISLAMABAD / ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has spelled out a 13-point ‘agenda of change and development’ for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the province where his party is in power, while announcing that K-P would take the lead in abolishing discretionary funds for provincial legislators.“The only duty of MPAs is to make laws and oversee their implementation. The bad tradition of doling out development funds to MPAs was introduced by the then military ruler, General Ziaul Haq,” Imran told a news conference on Monday.As more abandon PTI, change slips through Imran’s graspHe said his party has decided to devolve financial powers to local governments. “A provincial financial commission is being set up that will release funds to the local governments and districts without political interference,” he added.‘The agenda of change and development’ also includes allocation of Rs33 billion [or 30% of K-P’s budget] to the local governments, distribution of funds irrespective of party affiliation, making the Chief Minister House available to top taxpayers and opening of the CM/speaker’s rest houses in Nathiagali for general public.“It also includes introduction of conflict of interest law, police reforms, induction of 40,000 new teachers, all new appointments through NTS [National Testing Service], lower judiciary reforms and Peshawar Mass Transit,” he added.The PTI chairman said these reforms were part of his party’s manifesto but could not be implemented earlier. He termed the new agenda a landmark in the country’s history and said his party was entering a new phase in K-P.Imran also mentioned a number of new laws the K-P government was going to pass. “This reforms agenda includes Police Act 2016 aimed at de-politicising the police, and Public Safety Commission will oversee this act,” he added.He said his party is going to make the health sector and the hospitals of the province exemplary. A new accountability law is being introduced that will be more powerful than the previous one besides the introduction of whistle-blower act in which whistle-blowers highlighting graft will get 25 per cent of the recovery.Imran slams Sindh leadership for ‘looting development funds’“Corruption in K-P is at the lowest level compared to other provinces, according to the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) survey,” he added.Responding to a question about release of funds to Madrassa Haqqania in Akora Khattak, he said the K-P government was going to sign an MoU with all seminaries in the province as it wanted to bring their students into the mainstream. “We want to integrate three different syllabuses in the country and to provide 2.2 million madrasa students the opportunity to learn modern-day subjects,” he said.Published in The Express Tribune, July 26[SUP]th[/SUP], 2016. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1149304/imran-spells-agenda-change-k-p/
PESHAWAR: At least 340 policemen have been killed in Peshawar in the war against militancy that has plagued the province with an iron grip since 2006. This is the largest number of targeted attacks on the police to surface from any district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, an official said the police and security forces have been the primary target for a long time. At least 95% of terrorist attacks in Peshawar over the past decade have targeted police officials. 1,210 police personnel killed in K-P since 2006
He said the police were targeted in suicide attacks in the past. However, with time, security was tightened at police stations and posts. This has made it difficult for militants to attack these targets. As a result, militants have resorted to new tactics. They now target lone policemen. On Youm-e-Shuhada Day, The Express Tribune speaks to a few police officials in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa who have lost their colleagues to the militants’ gun.
PESHAWAR: Reducing the powers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission, the provincial assembly on Wednesday amended the relevant law making it binding on the commission not to take action in any ongoing project involving procedural lapses.
The amendment states, “the (Ehtesab) Commission shall only monitor the ongoing schemes of government and intimate the department about any procedural lapses and recommend corrective measures in such a manner that it shall not affect the running of ongoing projects.
Law minister Imtiaz Shahid moved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (Amendment) Bill 2016, which the house unanimously adopted afterwards.
In future, procedural lapses in ongoing projects will be out of bounds to KPEC
PPP parliamentary leader Mohammad Ali Shah had proposed amendment to the law to empower the Ehtesab Commission to probe embezzlement in the ongoing schemes, too.
He had insisted several projects involving billions of rupees were underway and therefore, they should not be exempted from the jurisdiction of the Ehtesab commission.
However, the provincial government didn’t agree to the proposed amendment leading to it defeat by vote in the house. Through the KP Ehtesab Commission (Amendment) Bill 2016, several amendments were made to the KPEC Act, 2014, under which the commission’s director general will now exercise jurisdiction with respect to a project only when it involves an amount of Rs50 million and above. And if the inquiry finds the project’s value to be less than Rs50 million, the matter will be referred to the anti-corruption establishment for further inquiry and investigation.
Through the amendment, the qualification for the appointment of the director general has also been diluted.
Currently, a retired government officer of BPS 21-22 or equivalent, or a lawyer who eligible to be appointed as a judge of the high court and who has served in a leadership position in professional career can get the post.
Following the amendment, four categories of persons can be appointed as the KPEC director general. Among them are a retired government officer of BPS-20 or above having master’s degree with 15 years administrative experience including three years experience in investigation; a retired judge of the high court; a lawyer with 15 years practice in prosecution; or anybody having 15 years experience in investigation or prosecution.
A controversy had emerged in February when an ordinance was promulgated by the provincial government to amend the Ehtesab law following which the then director general, retired Lt- Gen Hamid Khan, had resigned claiming that the commission had become toothless.
After it was tabled in May this year, the house referred the bill to its select committee headed by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for examination and recommendations.
Also in the session, local government minister Inayatullah Khan presented the Galiyat Development Authority Ordinance 2016 amid objections by the opposition benches.
The ordinance was meant to re-constitute and re-organise the Galiyat Development Authority.
MPA of the opposition PML-N Aamna Sardar moved a resolution that the Galiyat Development Authority Ordinance 2016 may be disapproved.
She said of the 11 members of the Board of Governors, seven were private members.
The MPA said through BoG, the provincial government was going to hand over its property to private members.
PML-N parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha told the house that 37 nazims of the village and neighbourhood councils of Abbottabad, too, opposed the GDA ordinance.
He feared a protest campaign would begin in Abbottabad against the controversial ordinance. Mr. Nalotha said the local government minister had assured the house of lately that private members would not be made part of the BoG but the assurance had turned out to be false.
He said private members outnumbered government representatives in the BoG. Leader of the opposition Maulana Lutfur Rehman said if all elected representatives and local people were opposed to the GDA ordinance, then the government should withdraw it. Responding to criticism, local government minister Inayatullah Khan said the government was not handing over its properties to private members of the BoG and instead, the GDA would work like a government-owned company. He said the GDA would work along the lines of other government-owned companies like the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar and Peshawar Electric Supply Company. The minister said the GDA would be headed by a government officer of BPS-20. He said the GDA was reconstituted to resolve issues of the people. The minister later tabled the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016. Also, the house unanimously passed a resolution condemning the recent suicide attacks on the holy places in Saudi Arabia. The resolution was tabled by Qaumi Watan Party MPA Sultan Mehmud Khan. Speaker Asad Qaisar adjourned the session until Friday. Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2016
[h=2]School head held for beating up students [/h] CHITRAL: The head of a private school in Drosh town involved in subjecting students to physical torture was sent to jail on judicial remand here on Wednesday.
The local police had sought the physical remand of the principal Inamul Kabir after charging him under sections 33, 34 and 38 of Children Protection Act. He was arrested on Tuesday on the orders of deputy commissioner Osama Ahmed Warraich when the video of torture was presented to him. Talking to Dawn, district education officer (male) Hanifullah said Learner Public School Drosh was sealed after the principal tortured the students, boys and girls, for coming late to school on Tuesday last. He said the director of education, Mohammad Rafique Khattak, had constituted an inquiry committee to probe the matter. Mr Hanifullah said the suspension of registration of the school had been recommended to the higher authorities while a fine of Rs100,000 would be imposed on the institution if the charge of torture was proved. Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2016
[/h] PESHAWAR: The provincial government and a Chinese firm on Wednesday agreed to construct US dollar 1.6-billion Circular Railway Project, interlinking Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan and Charsadda districts. The project would later be extended to Swabi district, and would also have a speedy railway service between Peshawar and Islamabad. A Memorandum of Understanding in this regard was signed by Special Assistant to CM for Transport Malik Shah Mohammad Wazir and Country Head of China Communications and Constructions Corporation, Limited Waing Xiaoping at a ceremony at the Chief Minister Secretariat here, according to a handout. The Chinese firm is a public sector major construction company with expertise in rail communication and infrastructure development. According to the MoU, the Chinese firm would conduct a feasibility study inclusive of concept design and cost estimation, and will prepare a technical and financial proposal to the provincial government in respect of the development of the project. It would also provide technical specification to government for the soil investigation and survey. The provincial government would be responsible for obtaining all approvals, land rights or other necessary permissions to enable the company to complete the feasibility work. The government will facilitate the company to fulfill its obligations and responsibilities by providing relevant local technical information and other necessary documents. The financial model of the project has to be agreed upon between the parties prior to commencement of the project through an agreement to be signed after fulfilling all legal and codal formalities. The speed of the train under the project will be 2,200 kilometres per hour. Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2016
[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has sanctioned more than 2,700 posts of medical officers as part of its rationalisation strategy to overcome shortage of doctors and provide better services to patients at grassroots level, according to officials. They said that approval of 2,778 new posts of medical officers in one-go by the government was unprecedented for health department, which had been facing acute shortage of medics since long. They said that it would cost Rs3.7 billion to the finance department annually. They added that approval was given by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Tuesday and the department was pulling its sleeves to make fast-track appointments. [h=4]Govt sanctions 2,778 posts of medical officers under rationalisation strategy[/h] Sources said that chief minister directed health department that 24 hours emergency services should be provided to patients at primary healthcare facilities after which he was given a detailed presentation in November last year. “We have identified two main factors for bad healthcare at the level of villages. First, the doctors avoid to be appointed in rural settings and the second is their shortage in view of growing needs of patients,” said officials. They added that chief minister accepted their proposals and agreed to resolve both the issues. In 2002, the health department carried out an assessment to know gaps in patients’ care at public sector hospitals and found that more doctors, nurses and paramedics should be recruited to improve patients’ care in rural health facilities. Successive government didn’t take any step to resolve the problem owing to the cost involved in the process. Officials said that about 140 of those posts were for management cadre doctors and the rest of the candidates would be recruited only for health outlets. “It is difficult for health department to provide round-the-clock services with four medical officers in rural health centres. Under the rationalisation programme, a rural health centre will get eight medical officers, including women medical officers, to be able to run shifts for patients,” they added.
Officials said that dispensaries, basic health units and district headquarters hospitals would also get additional medical officers on the same pattern. Strength of doctors would now reach to 8,000 in health department, which recently filled over 1,000 vacant positions, they said. Sources said that the doctors, who were reluctant to be posted in remote areas and preferred to work in Peshawar, were ready to be appointed there because they could get Rs140,000 health professional allowance in the backward areas. Previously, the doctors get Rs10,000 health professional allowance. Now a freshly-appointed medical officer gets Rs150,000 a month in the rural areas. “The doctors get more salaries than secretary of health department,” sources said. However, the province has still only one doctor for 10,000 persons. The patients also seek treatment at private sector hospitals. The public sector hospitals will get boost and people will find doctors in their areas after completion of the recruitment process. In second phase, the department has planned to fill the vacant posts of specialist doctors in the hospitals. According to officials, 68 per cent of posts remain vacant due to which patients suffer. “Soon a summary will be sent to chief minister regarding appointment of specialist doctors,” officials said. Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2016
[/h] PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has repealed the Gen Musharraf-era Police Order 2002 and promulgated own Police Ordinance 2016 claiming that under the new law police force has been freed from the clutches of bureaucracy and has been made answerable to public representatives A senior official at the law department told Dawn that KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra signed the ordinance on Monday and that police high-ups had been granted all the powers they were clamoring for.
Following the promulgation of the law, KP has become the first province to enact its own police law.
On Tuesday, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani shared details of the new law with journalists at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here.
The ordinance came after months long tussle between bureaucracy and police over having controlling powers over the department.
[h=4]Issues ordinance, insisting police freed from clutches of bureaucracy[/h] Both the police and home departments had prepared their own drafts, which were drastically different to each other. Section 14 of the ordinance, a copy of which is available with Dawn, shows that the procedure of the provincial police officer’s (PPO’s) appointment is more or less the same like the Police Order 2002 as the provincial government will pick one officer out of a panel of three names provided by the federal government as the PPO.
It however says the officers should to be recommended by the National Public Safety Commission.
The tenure of the PPO has been brought down from three years to two years in the Police Order.
However, the police managed to strike off the Police Order’s Clause 12 (5) empowering Provincial Public Safety Complaints Commission to ask the government for the PPO’s repatriation.
Under the name of operational autonomy, the PPO has been empowered to post officers up to the rank of AIG, while Section 20 empowers the police chief to post the city police officers and district police officers.
Previously, under Section 15 of the Police Order, he was required to have the government’s approval to do so.
The term of the CCPO and DPO offices has also been brought down from three to two years under the new law.
Under Section 16(1), the PPO will have all operational, administrative and financial powers as ex-officio secretary to government. The Provincial Public Safety Complaints Commission has been deprived its power of repatriating the PPO in contrast to the Police Order 2002. The power has been given to the government.
Also, the provincial body will be able take cognisance of the police’s excesses but won’t probe matters relating to investigations of regional police officers and DPOs.
Under the police order, the provincial body was empowered to take cognisance of cases of police neglect, abuse of authority and conduct prejudicial to public interest against head of district police even on its own has now been stripped of this power and now only can conduct an inquiry against a district head on a resolution passed by district assembly for the transfer of the DPO.
Under the law, the commission upon receiving a complaint will refer it to IGP, who will hold inquiry through the relevant authorities within 21 days.
However, if the commission is not satisfied with the report, its chairman will direct its inquiry panel to examine the case and give final report. Its decision will be communicated to the relevant authority for appropriate action within 30 days.
In contrast to the police order, where the job of accountability was vested in the safety bodies, the new law proposes to set up parallel regional police complaint authorities to enquire into complaints against all police officials up to the rank of ASP or DSP.
Besides this, the criminal justice coordination committees will also be formed at the district level, while the public liaison councils will be set up at village and neighbourhood levels.
The law has also institutionalised several training schools set up under the watch of the current police chief and made the counterterrorism and militancy as the police’s duties.
Mr. Khattak told journalists that for the first time in national history, a chief minister was delegating his powers to others.
He said the ordinance had been promulgated but in reality, he had transferred powers to the police beforehand. “After getting full operational autonomy, the police will be able to work more independently,” he said. Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2016
PESHAWAR: The accident and emergency department of Lady Reading Hospital will provide treatment only to the critically-ill or injured people while people with common ailments will be treated at outpatient department. The AED would treat people wounded in road accidents or those having medical, surgical and other emergencies free of cost, LRH medical director Prof Mukhtiar Zaman Afridi told a press conference here on Tuesday. “Serous patients require prompt diagnostic and treatment services. The patients with temperatures etc would be observed for four hours after which they can be discharged or send to relevant ward for admission,” he said. He added that 100 per cent increase in two years showed that cod patents ate up resources meant for people needing urgent treatment. Prof Mukhtiar said that AED services had almost come down to a breaking point because it received 374 patients per hour, majority of whom could be treated at OPD and. He said that the decision would reduce workload on staffers deployed at AED and they would focus on patients with pain, injuries etc. Prof Mukhtiar said that LRH was providing services of free ultrasound, X-ray and common tests to serious patients but complaints were received about shortage of medicines and services owing to unnecessary arrival of people with common illnesses. “Only genuine patients will be taken at AED and the walking patients will be directed to OPD where consultants sit till 4:30pm. “AED received 762,000 patients in 2013 and 1.4 million in 2015. The 100 per cent increase in two years shows how the services were affected,” he said. Only six per cent of them required emergence http://www.dawn.com/news/1276612/lrh-emergency-dept-to-treat-only-critically-ill-patients
[/h][h=2]KP Assembly calls for review of National Action Plan PESHAWAR: While condemning the Quetta hospital suicide attack, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday called for the regular review of the National Action Plan against terrorism to examine its progress and identify hurdles to it for corrective measures. The house unanimously adopted a resolution tabled by law minister Imtiaz Shahid against the Quetta carnage. The resolution was jointly signed by the treasury and opposition members. The chair, Dr Mahar Taj Roghani, suspended the agenda for the day before allowing the house to debate the Quetta terrorist attack. “The NAP exists on paper only,” insisted ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak. He regretted the NAP had been enforced but suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom and extortions continued to occur in the country. [/h][h=4]Condemns Quetta suicide attack, regrets growing terror incidents[/h][h=2]The ANP leader said after all political parties finalised the NAP against terrorism and it was enforced, an impression was given to the people that terrorists would be eliminated, but that didn’t happen. He demanded the federal and all provincial governments stand united against terrorism at all forums. “Until now, no one knows about those involved in the 2014 Army Public School Peshawar attack in which 144 students and school staff members were brutally killed,” he said. Mr. Babak said one and a half years had passed after the APS attack but parents of the slain schoolchildren continued to push the government for sharing the attack probe report with them. Senior minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao told the house that the people had pinned high hopes on the NAP after political parties unanimously finalised it. He said there was a need for the continuous review of the NAP as terrorists kept changing their strategy. “The NAP’s implementation should be continuously monitored,” he said. Mr. Sikandar, who belongs to the Qaumi Watan Party, said the NAP review would help the government know about the 20-point NAP’s parts fully implemented and the hurdles to its enforcement. On the occasion, senior minister Inayatullah Khan demanded that the federal government implement the NAP in letter and spirit to eradicate terrorism from the country. He said the whole country had been affected by militancy and violence. Fakhar Azam Wazir of the PPP said some improvement on the anti-terrorism front was seen after the NAP’s implementation began, but he believed a lot more was needed to be done to free the country from the scourge of violence. He urged the people to stand against militancy instead of leaving the fight against militants to the army alone. Leader of the opposition Lutfur Rehman said those, who had claimed militancy had been eliminated from the country, had turned out to be absolutely wrong. “There is a dire need to think why the incidence of militancy is not reducing,” he said. Also, the treasury and opposition lawmakers expressed concern about the maltreatment of Afghan nationals in the country and said the refugees, who had spent four decades in Pakistan, should be repatriated in a respectful and dignified manner otherwise their ‘humiliating repatriation’ would have serious repercussions for the country. The chair later adjourned the session until Wednesday. Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2016
http://www.dawn.com/news/1276397/kp-assembly-calls-for-review-of-national-action-plan [/h][h=2]Suicide jackets, explosives seized in Orakzai raid KALAYA: Personnel of security forces and intelligence agencies in a joint action seized suicide jackets, explosives and weapons from Marai Baber Lakay area along the border with Kohat here on Monday. Security officials said after getting information from intelligence agencies security personnel conducted raid at Baber Lakay and recovered two suicide jackets, 19 different kinds of bombs, eight anti-personnel mines, and three kg explosives from a hideout. However, no arrest was made during the action. Security personnel said a terror bid was thwarted through timely action. They said the terrorists wanted to use these weapons to disrupt Independence Day celebrations on Aug 14 in Hangu, Kohat and Orakzai Agency. Meanwhile, a tribal jriga presided over by MNA Dr Ghazi Gulab Jamal slapped ban on activities of non-government organisations in the tribal agency until they accepted demands of recruiting local people in various projects. The jirga was attended by a large number of tribal elders and maliks. Addressing the jirga, the lawmaker and other elders said the ban on activities of NGOs would stay until they agreed to give jobs to local people in various projects. The MNA said NGOs should help overcome increasing unemployment in the region. The jirga leaders said that due to lack of interest of the political administration the returning IDPs were facing multiple problems which needed immediate attention of the officials concerned. The tribal elders urged the federal government, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, to play their due role in resolving problems of the tribal people. Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2016
[/h][h=2]Over 100 schools in Mohmand without boundary walls GHALANAI: Despite the tall claims of the government about allocating funds for security of educational institutions, more than 100 schools in Mohmand Agency are still without boundary walls. The government claimed to have allocated sufficient funds for security of educational institutions in tribal areas after attacks on Army Public School in Peshawar and Bacha Khan University in Charsadda. After the tragic incidents, government ordered closure of all private and public sector schools in the region over security concerns. The government also issued guidelines for the security of educational institutions. However, more than 100 schools in Mohmand Agency were still boundary walls. The local people said that they were worried about the safety of students and teachers. [/h][h=4]Official says Khasadar, Levies forces patrol around schools for security of students, teachers[/h][h=2]An official of education department said that over 100 educational institutions including high, middle and primary schools in the agency had no boundary walls. The department had approached the quarters concerned to get funds for the purpose but in vain, he added. The official said that 125 schools were damaged during militancy in the area out of which reconstruction of 60 was underway. “There are 598 educational institutions in the area where 70,000 students are enrolled. At least five schools are run by an NGO in the area,” he added. Another official, when contacted, said that Levies and Khasadr forces were patrolling around the schools in every tehsil to ensure security of students and teachers. LEASE: The elders of Daag Tamanzai area in Pandiali tehsil have warned the local administration against awarding lease contract of local marble mines to a specific group. Addressing a press conference at Ekkaghund here on Monday, the local elders including Malik Yousaf Khan, Malik Fauji Khan, Malik Gul Said, Malik Mohammad Alam, Said Gul, Ihsanullah, Malik Rahmdad, Sher Mohammad and Sardar Mohammad showed concerns over the intention of local administration to award lease contract of the marble mines to a specific group. “Daag Tamanzai marble mines are common property of four sub-tribes including Haji Kore, Hasham Kore, Qasim Kore and Merak Kore,” they said. They alleged that a resident of charsadda district with the help of a local tribesman wanted to get the mines on lease in illegal way. The elders said that the illegal award of lease contract would trigger conflict in the area and its responsibility would rest with the local administration. “We have old enmity on this issue. It is feared that the lease contract will revive the hostility,” they added. Assistant Political Agent Naveed Akbar Khan, when contacted, denied the allegations and said that the lease contract would be awarded withconsensus of all tribes. The tribal elders threatened to hold protest demonstrations outside Governor’s House and Fata Secretariat in Peshawar if their demands were not met. Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2016
While the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has been making amendments after amendments in its much projected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission Act, 2014, it fails to make the law flawless and instead exposed the prevalent confusion about what sort of accountability the government is interested in this province. The KP Assembly on Aug 3 passed the KP Ehtesab Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and instead of strengthening the Ehtesab Commission several amendments were introduced in the law to curtail its powers especially in the ongoing schemes of the government. On pretext of smooth running of the development schemes the government has now barred the director general from taking action in matters involving procedural lapses in any ongoing projects. Through the recently passed bill a new sub-section 1A has been included in section 35 of the Act which states: The Directorate General shall not take action in matters involving pure procedural lapses in any ongoing project. It shall only monitor the ongoing schemes of Government and intimate the department about any procedural lapses and recommend corrective measures in such a manner that it shall not affect the running of ongoing project. Through another amendment the directorate general of the commission has now been empowered to deal with a project only when it involves an amount of Rs50 million or above. The government has now make it binding on the directorate general of the commission that if in the course of inquiry it is found that the project is less than Rs50 million the matter shall be referred to the Anti- Corruption Establishment (ACE). The government has also increased the categories of persons, who are qualified to become the director general, the key post in the commission enjoying wide ranging powers. In the original Act only two categories were provided including: a retired government officer in BPS 21/ 22 or equivalent; or, a lawyer eligible to be appointed as a judge of the high court and has served in a leadership position in professional career. Now after the recent amendments four categories of persons are qualified to become the director general- A retired government officer in BPS 20 or above having master degree with 15 years administrative experience including three years experience in investigation in a leadership position; or a retired judge of the high court; or a lawyer with 15 years practice in prosecution; or anybody having 15 years experience in investigation/prosecution. Another important amendment is about the functioning of the legislative committee set up to confirm the nomination of the Ehtesab commissioners as recommended by a search and scrutiny committee. The legislative committee has now been empowered to inquire into any allegation of abuse of authority or misconduct by the commissioners on a complaint received from general public or through director internal monitoring and public complaints wing. It provides that if a commissioner is found guilty he or she may be removed from office in the manner applicable to a judge of a high court upon a reference made by the governor. An expert on the subject said that a judge of the high court could only be removed through the Supreme Judicial Council headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan under article 209 of the Constitution. He questioned that the functions of the Supreme Judicial Council were given in the Constitution and without making amendment in that section how could through a provincial legislation more duties could be assigned to the council. Since the enactment of the present law in Jan 2014 one of the deficiencies pointed out by the experts was about the limited role assigned to the five-member Ehtesab Commission, headed by the chief Ehtesab commissioner, as compared to the powers of the director general. Following much criticism on that shortcoming in the law the provincial government had promulgated an ordinance in Feb 2016 through certain powers of the commissioners were enhanced and the commission was empowered to grant approval to the director general or an officer of the directorate genera for arrest of an accused person. The said ordinance was withdrawn by the government in May following which those powers were reverted back to the director general. The commissioners have virtually turned into silent spectators as most of the powers rest with the director general. Presently, section 37 of the Act provides that a prosecution conference should be held upon completion of the inquiry or investigation and the investigation officers and special prosecutors should prepare a joint report for the DG with the recommendation for filing of a reference before the court or opposing it. The commissioners have no say in filing of a reference and their only function is to make policies. Following enactment of the KPEC Act 2014 the first amendment made in the law was in June 2014 for reverting back the decision of abolishing the ACE. Initially, the law provided the abolition of the ACE as it was considered appropriate that a single anti-corruption body should function in the province. A major flaw in the law surfaced in early 2015 when the provincial government realised that retrospective effect was not given to it due to which applying it to offences committed before its enactment became questionable. To remove that flaw the KPEC (Amendment) Act, 2015, was passed by the provincial assembly on April 10, 2015. Initially, the law stated that it shall come into force at once, which meant that the commission could only deal with cases occurring after it came into existence and not earlier. Through the said amendment the commission was empowered to deal with corruption cases from Jan 1, 2004 onwards. Subsequently, another major loophole in the law was found when several suspects were granted bail by the Peshawar High Court. It had surfaced that that nowhere in the law it was mentioned that the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) would be applicable to cases under it. In the law no provision was given regarding judicial remand of a suspect. To remove that flaw the provincial assembly passed the KPEC (2nd Amendment) Act on Aug 20, 2015. Experts believe that the government should bring some transparency in the affairs of the commission by giving a say to the five-member commission in decision making regarding arresting suspects and filing references against them. Moreover, reducing powers of the commission in the ongoing projects have brought a bad name to the government and this amendment should be reversed. Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2016 http://www.dawn.com/news/1276172/repeated-amendments-in-ehtesab-law-not-to-bring-desired-results
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has sent doctors for postgraduate training to Combined Military Hospitals and private health facilities to accommodate all candidates and develop medical specialties. A memorandum of understanding was signed by health secretary with officials of the hospitals recently to send trainee medical officers (TMOs) to CMHs for postgraduate training and prepare them to appear in FCPS examination, conducted by College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. We have a total of 609 seats of TMOs in six medical teaching institutions in the province while 984 are needed, including 900 in medicines and 84 in dental surgery. The province has total of 358 qualified consultants in public sector, each of whom is authorised to supervise eight to 10 doctors during the training, Prof Riaz Anwar Khan, the dean of Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI), told Dawn. He said that the TMOs would get training in neuro-surgery, orthopaedics, cardiology, etc. Initially, they would be deployed at general surgery wards and they would decide about their choice of specialty after two years.
Move aimed at accommodating all trainee medical officers
The CPSP awards FCPS degrees in medicines, general surgery, super specialties, dentistry etc, for which the candidates undergo four-year training in general specialties and five years training in super specialties. The province faced acute shortage of slots but the problem was resolved as they started sending doctors for training to CMHs for first time in the country, Prof Riaz Anwar said. He said that the TMOs would be paid by the provincial government during their courses at those facilities. He said that manpower was desperately needed to scale up postgraduate facilities. The new TMOs apply for the slots through online system. They were given two-week time after their selection in interviews to decide about the area of specialty, said Prof Riaz Anwar. He said that other provinces, especially Punjab, wanted to replicate their decade-old central induction system for selection of TMOs. We select TMOs on demand of medical teaching institutions every year. We need more slots, he added. Prof Riaz Anwar said that it was the first agreement of its kind by any province under which it placed TMOs in Combined Military Hospitals in Peshawar, Kohat and Nowshera and Mercy Teaching Hospital, Kuwait Teaching Hospital, Rehman Medical Institute and North West General Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar. Officials said that few meetings were held after the issue was raised by TMOs, who wanted to become specialists but could not do so owing to non-availability of seats. They said that the province wanted to get more specialists in cardiovascular surgery, hematology and cardiothoracic surgery and other scarce specialties. Armys help has been sought to overcome shortage of human resources for postgraduate studies, said officials. They added that before drafting the agreement, the officials of health department visited CMHs. The province depends on medical teaching institutions for producing specialist doctors that hadnt opened new wards to accommodate TMOs. They said that the agreement would also provide human resources to the army and other hospitals for work and the doctors would get opportunities to work under highly trained teachers. The health department has also asked CPSP to accredit six more medical teaching institutions for FCPS training and wants to enhance coordination with army to create workforce and set up more medical colleges and upgrade district headquarters hospitals to teaching hospitals, said officials. Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2016
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa establishment department has taken several steps to resolve complaints of the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officers. Earlier in May this year, hundreds of PCS/PMS officers had gone on pen-down strike for over two weeks to press for acceptance of their demands, including promotion and nomination for training courses. Details shared with Dawn by the establishment department officials said that the PCS Officers Association during a meeting with the chief secretary in May had presented him a charter of demands. A few days later, the KP chief minister also formed a cabinet committee headed by senior minister Sikandar Sherpao to address the PCS officers concerns. The sources said that during past one year the establishment department had promoted 193 provincial officers, which was more than the number of officers promoted over a decade. During 2016, a total of six Provincial Selection Boards (PSBs) were held, they said. Also during the same period, 56 officers were nominated for training courses, while 67 posts were included in the schedule. The sources said that the establishment department had moved a summary to the chief minister calling for repatriating all deputationists working on cadre posts, while 67 posts had been included in the schedule-II so that the PCS officers could be posted against these. Also, 42 other posts are to be included in the schedule-II and for this purpose the departments concerned have been asked to frame or amend rules. The sources said that all the secretaries were asked to repatriate deputationists working in their departments and so far seven ex-cadre officials had been sent to their parent departments. The government will post the newly-promoted provincial officers against these posts. According to details shared by the establishment department, 20 federal government officers and 26 provincial officers are currently working against cadre posts in the province, who would be repatriated to their parent departments. About the parity vis--vis PMS vs PAS (Pakistan Administrative Service), the details show that currently of the total 40 secretaries 17 belong to PAS and 16 to PCS while seven seats are vacant. Among 12 special secretaries, one belongs to PAS and nine are from PCS/PMS with two seats still vacant. Of the seven commissioners three are from PAS and four from PCS, while of seven additional commissioners four belong to PCS and three posts are vacant. Of the 25 deputy commissioners 15 belong to PAS and 10 to PCS. All the seven political agents belong to PAS while of seven additional political agents two are from PAS and three from PCS. Two posts are vacant. Of 25 assistant political agents, 23 belong to PCS and two to PAS, while of 57 assistant commissioners 45 are from PCS and 11 from PAS. The sources said that at least eight PCS officers had been facing formal inquires. They said that revision of apportionment formula of schedule-II falls in the domain of the provincial assembly, while a proposal to set up a permanent cabinet standing committee to address the officers grievances was also under consideration. Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2016
ABBOTTABAD: The Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) has been made an autonomous body through legislation by the provincial government. This was claimed by Director Administration GDA Raza Ali Habib while briefing newsmen here the other day. He said under the GDA Act, 2016, the authority had a board with 11 private and four government members. He added that the government members included additional chief secretary, secretary finance, secretary local government & director general GDA. He maintained that names of private members would be finalised by the government soon. He said GDA had been made self-sufficient and had generated its revenue worth Rs160 million during the current year. This year GDA did not get any budget from the provincial government as it was able to generate its own resources, he claimed. Commenting on the features of the new act, Mr Habib said complete financial and administrative powers were given to the authority by providing full autonomy to it. He said the director general was given magisterial powers to seal any illegal building and take appropriate legal action against the violators. He said a 27-kilometre-long road costing Rs840 million from Barian to Nathiagali had been completed, while 29 kilometers link roads costing Rs710 million would be complete by the end of current month. He said 80 per cent work on face-lifting of five bazaars had been complete and three new parks had been developed at Nathiagali, Ayubia and Dunga Gali for tourists. The GDA director administration said four rest areas along Nathiagali-Murree road had been completed while one was under-construction. He added that washrooms and other facilities had been included in these rest areas. Work on a food street at Nathiagali would be completed shortly. Mr Habib said an anti-encroachment drive against illegal buildings and water connections had been started in which 60 illegal water connections of hotels had been disconnected. Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2016 http://www.dawn.com/news/1275937/galiyat-development-authority-made-autonomous-body
PESHAWAR: Work on the Rs38-billion Swat Expressway is expected to be launched next month. A statement issued here on Saturday that the expressway was a mega project to be launched by the provincial government under the Public Private Partnership Act, 2014, which will be complete in two years. Frontier Works Organisation is to build the project under the Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The 81-kilometre-long expressway will connect Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway with Chakdara, tunneling its way through mountains at Palai and Ala Dhand. Two kilometres of the expressway will fall in the vicinity of Nowshera, 18km in Swabi, 40km in Mardan and 21km in Malakand. The total width of the expressway will be 80 meters. Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PKHA) officials said the length of the tunnels had been estimated at about two kilometres. With the completion of the road, journey from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange to Chakdara will take only 45 minutes. According to present estimates, more than 18,000 vehicles will use this route daily, generating direct and indirect revenue for the government. The expressway will be constructed on the pattern of motorway with as many as four lanes which will be extended to six lanes afterwards. Interchanges will be constructed at Dhobian, Ismaila, Bakshalay, Katlang, Palai and Chakdara. It will provide access to more than 40 villages which were previously inaccessible, generating numerous business opportunities for locals. Besides providing job opportunities to residents of adjacent villages, these areas will also witness development because of easy access to major market places. Previously, these areas remained backward because they were cut off from major routes making transportation and business extremely difficult. Moreover, the route will also boost tourism sector because of easy access to tourist spots in Swat and adjacent areas and will generate indirect revenue for the province and business opportunities for thousands of people. According to the PKHA officials, the expressway is also of strategic importance because it will provide easy and fast access to remote areas that were previously inaccessible. The land acquisition for the project is in final stage with more than 70pc work having already been completed by the revenue department. The officials said every effort had been made to protect forestry of the adjoining areas and that less than 100 homes would be affected by the entire project. Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2016
PESHAWAR: The provincial assembly hurriedly passed the much-trumpeted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prevention of Conflict of Interest Bill 2016 on Friday after reducing the number of the original bills clauses to 25 from 65.
It was a unique occasion in the parliamentary history of the province that an important bill, which had been pending with the houses select committee since November 2014, was passed without provision of its copies to lawmakers. The MPAs got copies after the passage stage.
After the passage of the bill, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa became the first province to have a law related to conflict of interest. Significant clauses were removed from the original bill aimed at establishing the clear conflict of interest and related post-employment principles for public officeholders, preventing and minimising the possibility of conflicts arising between the private interests and public duties of public office holders in the province.
Official insists its a harmless law after the removal of important clauses from original bill
Under the new law, a public officeholder includes governor, chief minister, provincial cabinet member, speaker of the assembly, provincial minister, adviser and special assistant to chief minister etc.
Officials of the police departments, university vice-chancellors and other officers of the education departments have been excluded from the law.
The category of government officials has the chief secretary, additional chief secretary, administrative secretaries to the government and special secretaries only. The subordinate judiciary, nazims and naib nazims of local councils and several categories of officials performing in the province related to the local government, development authorities, banks, financial institutions, firms, corporations or organisations established or controlled by the provincial government have been removed from the reviewed draft. Part-VIII which dealt with divestments of assets by the public office holder after his appointment was also removed. Similarly, Part-IV, which included wide ranging rules, has also been removed. Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who also holds the portfolio of the establishment department, chaired the meeting of the houses select committee on Thursday in which important clauses were removed from the original bill. It has now become a harmless and toothless law because whole definitions have been changed, said a senior functionary. Chief Minister wanted to exclude the office of the governor from the bill, too, but it was opposed, he said. Pervez Khattaks brother is serving as the district nazim of Nowshera, while the brother of minister of state and revenue Ali Amin Gandapur holds the office of district nazim in Dera Ismail Khan. The PA speaker, several cabinet members, MPAs and officers own educational institutions, tobacco business, construction companies and other businesses. Sources said the copies of the bill landed at the assembly secretariat shortly before the start of the proceedings. They said the establishment department provided the secretariat with the bills four copies only. The bill was introduced in the assembly on November 19, 2014, before being referred to the select committee. The committee sent the bill to the house on August 10, 2105 and that it was recommitted to the committee for further deliberation. The committee didnt dispose of the business in the due time of one month. The bill was brought on the agenda in January but it didnt sail through due to a lack of quorum. It was sent back to the committee for further deliberation. Both sides of the house were not in favour of the bill containing 65 clauses. It happened for the first time that such an important piece of law had been passed without distributing copies and discussion in the House, said another official. He said the government was under pressure from the party leadership to pass the law. The passed bill is also discriminatory as the wide ranging government officials had not been included in the definition of public officeholder, whereas only few of them including chief secretary have been included in it, he said. The passed bill provides that a public office holder should recuse himself from any discussion, decision, debate or vote on any matter in respect of which he is be in a conflict of interest. Under the new law, there will be a prevention of conflict of interest and ethics commission comprising a chairman to be appointed by the government on the recommendation of the two-member selection committee. One member of the commission will be a retired civil servant in BPS-20 or above. Initially, the selection committee comprises four members. The chairman and members of the commission will hold the office for a term of three years. After completion of the tenure, they will not be eligible for reappointment. The suo moto powers of the commission mentioned in the original bill have also been removed in the present bill. Now, the commission will only act on a request made by a citizen that shouldnt be anonymous. Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2016
