Apna Peshawar

Nine KPK cabinet ministers take oath

2013-03-24T23:44:00.001+05:00

Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa caretaker cabinet took oath at 5 pm, Sunday, March 24, at the Governor’s House. KPK Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan administered oath to the new ministers.
The nine names finalised after consultation with the stake holders by the caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez include; former inspector General of Police Fayaz Khan Toru, former bureaucrat Abdul Rauf Khattak, Col (Retd) Samin Jan Babar a former federal secretary and a bureaucrat, Farukh Saer, Jehangir Khan a former additional secretary in KPK, Mussarat Qadeem, and Umer Farooq, besides others.
The portfolios of the ministers were likely to be announced later while some sources said that the number of ministers was also likely to be changed. There were also chances that the ministers would be taking care of multiple portfolios.

Conservation: Heritage at the front lines

2013-03-24T23:37:00.001+05:00

Being a student of archaeology I am in the habit of comparing the past with the present and somehow end up thinking that the ancient people were more advanced, sophisticated, civilised and intellectually sound.

The region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has gone through many difficult stages of history. Alexander ravaged it coming all the way from Macedonia; the Scythians and the Kushans from Central Asia too wreaked havoc on the entire region. But then there were some amazing times too when KP was the centre of propagation for peace through Buddhism. One of the first universities of the world was constructed here (Takht-i-Bahi and Taxila) and eventually this place became the seat of learning. Students from all over the Buddhist world came to learn sutras, religion, languages and other sciences (the phenomenon which modern day educationists call internationalisation).

The origin of the Indus Valley civilisation can be traced back to ancient KP that later on gifted the world the science of civil engineering and town planning. The emergence of Hinduism can easily be traced from this very region. Until recent times, this province was the centre of multicultural activities (internationalisation), and I am sure that all this happened because of good governance, administration and
through sincere commitment practiced by the ancient people.

Pakistan is blessed with various natural and cultural resources which include a rich history too. There are approximately 5,000 archaeological sites only in KP (many others have not been explored yet in other provinces). Despite extraordinary wonders, which perhaps we do not deserve because we have not learnt from our glorious past nor do we feel proud of our cultural heritage, the country has never capitalised on its glorious assets and as a result is facing many problems and turmoil. Another factor is bad governance.

As a student of archaeology, I haven’t come across any civilisation or nation, which would wilfully destroy its rich cultural heritage.

According to a survey conducted by Hazara University in collaboration with the University of Leicester, UK, through British Council Pakistan, 98 per cent people in KP have no idea what is archaeology, heritage and culture, and most of them have never been to a museum in their whole life. The results of this survey are shocking because the research sample included bureaucrats, administrators and custodians of archaeological heritage.

Many examples can be quoted from Pakistan, particularly from the KP where, due to poor governance/lack of awareness, many archaeological sites are perishing at an alarming rate. Whenever asked why the cultural heritage is decaying, the government officials unanimously reply: “We are in a state of war and we have other priorities than culture and archaeology!” It explains all: how beautifully they mask their incapability and lack of management/governance skills by using external factors and denying official responsibility.

There is no doubt that we are in a state of war, but what about the decaying cultural heritage? I believe, the major issue the country faces is its confusion regarding cultural identity, or the lack of pride in the glorious past, that we have lost somewhere! Developing pride and the sense of ownership of our rich past, can serve as an effective tool to bring the country out of the present chaos, uncertainty and confusion.

All this can be done through spreading public awareness about cultural heritage and by educating the officials, the so-called custodians of our cultural heritage. It is a pity that they consider it the least important or priority issue to be dealt with seriously.

The smuggling of antiquities and illegal digging of archaeological treasures is going on at a very alarming pace in the province, despite the only existing antiquity act of the country (NWFP 1997 Antiquity Act) as its implementation is almost zero. Despite boasting more than 5,000 archaeological sites in KP, only around 90 sites are protected under the act. In spite of the rich cultural profile only one archaeological site has been included as yet in the Unesco world heritage list (Takht-i-Bahi in 1982).

I am not citing individuals, but I am mourning the fact that uninformed officials are often posted at important posts in the country and because of their lack of vision and decision making KP’s heritage is being deliberately prevented from becoming an effective front line against ignorance, bigotry and anarchy of present times. Gandhara civilisation taught tolerance and co-existence to the outside world two millennia ago, and it needs to once again define Pakistan’s heritage and cultural policy.

Targeted attack: Anti-Taliban lashkar leader's son gunned down in Peshawar

2013-02-11T21:36:00.002+05:00

Doctor Tehsinullah Safi, the son of a peace lashkar head was gunned down in Peshawar today in a targeted attack.

An initial investigation revealed that two unidentified men fired at him near his clinic in the Budni area of Peshawar.

He was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Dr Safi belonged to the Safi Tehsil of Mohmand Agency, where his father was the head of an anti-Taliban peace lashkar head.

Police confirmed that this was a targeted attack and his attackers had successfully escaped. Further investigations are underway.

Two Shia doctor have been killed in sectarian attacks during the past few months in Peshawar.

Kohat historical sites turning into ruins

2013-02-11T21:29:00.002+05:00

Most historical places in Kohat are in an absolute shambles due to the archeology department’s neglect.

Many artefacts, including carved stones, marble tiles and statues, are taken away possibly by smugglers for a better price abroad.

Not long ago, the government had planned preservation of these places and sent in archeological experts for survey. However, the plan didn’t enter the execution phase.

Among these sites listed by the erstwhile federal tourism ministry are caves from Aad and Samud dynasty, Kohat springs visited by Baba Guru Nanak, Zinda Pir shrine, Kohat Fort, Cavagnari House, Guava Gardens, hilly track, Teri ashram and Hindu Bazaar, Handy Side Gate, Toi Banda rest house, Khushal Garh rest house, a 16th century mosque in Shahpur village, grave of former West Pakistan chief justice M. R. Kayani, palaces of emperor Durrani and his princes, Dhoda ground, where emperor Zahiruddin Babar camped on his way to India, eight out of 12 gates of the Walled City and Khushal Garh iron bridge.

During a visit, Dawn found the Durrani graveyard and the ruins of Aad and Samud without precious tiles, gravestones, coins and statues. A few are rebuilt by caretakers.

The shrine of Zinda Pir famous as Ghamkol Pir has been reconstructed by the saint’s grandsons and followers. However, the cave, where the saint used to perform rituals and pray, is in its original condition.

Kohat Fort built by emperor on the hilltop, where warrior Alexander camped with his army before marching towards north, now serves as the headquarters of the IXth division of Pakistan Army.

Only two places at the fort, one the tunnel, which served as the only entrance and second the trench surrounding it, are in original shape.

Repeated requests from the local residents to the government for preservation of these historical places have fallen on deaf ears.

The people have feared historical sites may disappear altogether if they are not properly preserved now.

They called for the government to allocate appropriate funds for protecting these places from going to ruin.

This, according to them, will help attract tourists from within the country and abroad and thus, generating revenue.

The people also demanded that the tomb of former chief justice Kayani be declared national heritage and a library be constructed there.

Ironically, when Dawn visited the place, a shepherd was making tea on the two pieces of the gravestone without knowing about its importance.

KP launches laptop scheme for students

2013-02-11T21:28:00.002+05:00

It was responsibility of the federal government to provide adequate funds to the public sector universities till next National Finance Commission award, said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.

However, he said that provincial government would extend every possible financial support to the universities.

The chief minister was addressing a ceremony, held here on Sunday at the Convocation Hall of University of Peshawar (UoP) to launch free laptop distribution scheme.

He launched the Naway Sahar Scheme (New Dawn Scheme) by distributing 35 laptops among the position holder students of four-year bachelor programme. The position holders, who got the laptops, were students of 30 departments of UoP, its three constituent colleges and two affiliated degree colleges.

The chief minister said that provincial government established eight new universities as education was its top priority. He said that the laptop scheme was introduced to keep the educated youth of the society connected with the world. He said that an amount of Rs1 billion was allocated for purchase of laptops.

Mr Hoti claimed that utmost importance was given to ensure transparency in procurement and distribution of laptops among more than 23,000 students. He directed the vice-chancellors and head of the institutions to oversee transparency in the award of laptops to deserving students.

The biggest challenge confronting the country, especially Pakhtuns, was insurgency and terrorism, the chief minister said. “To overcome these threats, the only way is educating the youth and that too in accordance with requirement of the world,” he added.

Mr Hoti said that few miscreants had portrayed a dismal picture of Pakhtuns. “Let me tell the world that the educated youth sitting in front of me is the real images of our region,” he said. He urged the students to serve as ambassador of peace by getting quality education.

The chief minister announced a grant of Rs100 million for UoP to purchase buses and Rs10 million for golden jubilee celebrations of Peshawar University Teachers Association. He also directed the higher education secretary to move the summary for approval of the amount to his office by tomorrow.

The chief minister said that since independence till 2008 the number of colleges in the province was 137 including 91 for boys and 46 for girls. The present provincial government approved establishment of 72 colleges including 46 for girls, he added. He said that among those, 18 colleges were already functional.

Expressing concern over the status of female education in remote areas of the province, Mr Hoti said that not a single girl student appeared in the secondary school certificate examination in Torghar district last year and more or less the same situation persisted in Kohistan.

Earlier, Higher Education Secretary Farah Hamid said that 23,147 laptops would be distributed under the scheme. She said that the students, who secured 70 per cent or above marks in their last semester examinations, would be eligible to get the laptops.

She said that a criterion of minimum 60 per cent marks was set for the students studying under the annual system in various institutions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Traffic congestion in Peshawar: Signal-free corridors proposed

2013-02-07T18:55:00.001+05:00

Construction of signal-free corridors and shifting of all bus stands and vegetable markets out of Peshawar city could substantially ease traffic pressure on the city roads.

Peshawar SP (traffic) Asif Iqbal said this while speaking at ‘Meet the Press Programme’ of Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday. He said that a proposal to install closed circuit cameras at prominent spots across the district was under consideration to check performance of the traffic police.

He said that for pedestrians the government should focus on building overhead bridges instead of underpasses because the former could be built in the shortest possible time with minimum problems for traffic.

Mr Iqbal said that enforcement, education and engineering were three essential things for controlling traffic problems and the police could focus on the former two points. He said that engineering department was not under the police and that was why the lack of liaison created difficulties.

“We have no engineer to help control the system and all such problems are seen by the Peshawar Development Authority,” he said and added that engineering department was supposed to play key role in the system otherwise the problems would continue.

The main problems, he said, were created due to lack of coordination among the relevant departments like Regional Transport Authority, Provincial Transport Authority, Peshawar Development Authority and traffic police.

Referring to the pathetic condition of roads, the SP suggested their improvement because the number of vehicles was growing with each passing day and the roads’ capacity remained the same.

He said that construction of new service roads and improvement of main roads, including Dalazak Road, City Circular Road, Peshtakhara Road, Jamrud Road and Railways Road, was essential to streamline traffic flow in the city. He said that at many places the U-turns had been closed under compulsion to ensure smooth traffic flow.

The SP also called for construction of parking plazas and said that there was shortage of parking lots in the city and cantonment areas, and people had to park their vehicles on roads. He said that parking of vehicles on Mall Road was restricted due to movement of VIPs and security reasons.

For improvement of traffic management, the official suggested construction of roundabouts near Tata Park, at Board Bazaar, Ring Road linking Charsadda Road, and FC Chowk besides removal of encroachments from all busy roads.

Answering questions, the SP said that the city’s population and traffic volume were increasing fast and the roads were not expanded, which aggravated the civic problems. About military checkpoints, he said, that these were essential in the prevailing situation to overcome terrorism.

Scholarships for tribal students

2013-02-07T18:54:00.002+05:00

Twenty-one students belonging to tribal areas were awarded scholarships during a ceremony held at Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) Peshawar.

According to a press release, the scholarships were awarded to deserving students of tribal areas under IMS Fata Scholarship Programme by Arshad Majeed, the secretary of Fata Investment Facilitation Authority (Fifa), Fata Secretariat.

Centre’s reply to petition against FCR sought

2013-02-07T18:53:00.002+05:00

The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the federal government to file written reply to a petition challenging several provisions of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and terming it inconsistent with the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Irshad Qaiser directed deputy attorney general Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand to submit the reply within 15 days.

The bench observed that in case it accepted the petition, it would have severe implications and impact for the government and therefore, it was necessary for federal government to furnish its reply.

The petition is filed by a Khyber Agency resident, Ghufran Kukikhel, who was convicted by the political agent on Nov 23, 2011, of drug trafficking.

His conviction was made on the basis of the inquiry conducted by a jirga of elders constituted under FCR.

He was handed down 10 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs100,000 fine.

The petitioner was charged under the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979 read with FCR whereas he claimed that in presence of Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 1997, he could not be tried under the former laws.

Noor Alam Khan, lawyer for the petitioner, said several of the FCR provisions were in conflict with the Constitution and against several judgments of the superior courts.

He said his client had also challenged the judicial powers of the political agent for being in conflict with Article 175 of the Constitution.

The lawyer said the FCR sections mostly related to powers of district magistrate, additional district magistrate, council of elders and trials were also questioned.

The petitioner has asked whether he being a resident of Khyber Agency is not a citizen of Pakistan, whether he is not entitled to fundamental rights mentioned in the Constitution, whether he is alien having no rights, and whether Article 175 (3) of the Constitution does not provide that judiciary should be separated from the executive but why this article of the Constitution is applicable in Fata.

He also asked whether in administration of criminal justice, the burden of proof does not lie on the prosecution, whereas under FCR, the burden of proof is on the shoulders of the accused, whether an executive authority can perform the functions of judicial authority, especially when it has no knowledge of law and court, and whether the provision of CNSA hasn’t overriding effect not withstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force.

Bhoja crash: compensation to families overdue

2013-02-07T18:51:00.002+05:00

THE ill-fated aircraft of Bhoja Air crashed on April 20 last, killing all the 127 persons on board. There was an outpouring of sympathy for the perished and the affected families. But as the days passed, the tragedy has been overtaken by other events and almost forgotten.

Unfortunately, this has been a hush-hush affair from the beginning. Reticence to tell the truth on the part of the government, the CAA and the airline itself is giving rise to rumours of all sorts. There is a story afloat of attempted sale of Bhoja Air to an unknown entity in the UAE to apparently avoid adverse consequences.

If true, this might complicate payment of compensation to the bereaved families, as only 11 out of 127 have been reportedly paid compensation till now, apparently for an invidious reason to benefit the insurance company.

Results of the aircraft investigation and action, if any, against those responsible for the accident, directly or indirectly, has also not been disclosed, keeping everybody in suspense apparently for ulterior reasons. And last, but not least, why the unprecedented action for initiating criminal proceedings against the management of the airline for murdering the people on board the aircraft was taken again remains a mystery.

Was it for upholding the rule of law or for arm-twisting for political or other less than altruistic reasons, as this has never happened in airline history.

All concerned must realise that it is a human problem of grave proportion and necessary action must be taken to allay these misgivings and to provide some succour and solace to the affected families without further delay.

Delay in passport delivery

2013-02-07T18:51:00.000+05:00

PASSPORT authorities are getting Rs3,000 for ordinary and Rs5,000 for urgent passport. Fifteen days’ time is promised for an urgent passport and 30 days for an ordinary passport.

However, urgent passports are not delivered on time while ordinary passports are delivered after three months.

This is ridiculous and unjustified. The passport authorities give the plea that they are short of passport books and hence the abnormal delay.

Owing to the abnormal delay in issuing ordinary passports, many people prefer to apply for passports on an urgent basis.
However, despite payment of extra money, urgent passports are not delivered on time.

This is creating unrest among the people. No government official or the authority concerned bothers to resolve the issue and reduce the delivery period.

The government should pay serious attention towards resolving the problem.

Pakistani officials say the government plans to build a recreation complex in the town where al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed

2013-02-05T11:20:00.000+05:00

Pakistani officials say the government plans to build a recreation complex in the town where al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed by US commandos in 2011.

Syed Aqil Shah, sports and tourism minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Monday the project in Abbottabad will have a zoo, paragliding club and water sports facilities. It will also have cultural heritage park.

Shah said the development is not intended to counter Abbottabad’s negative reputation following bin Laden’s discovery there. He said it’s part of a revival of recreational and cultural activities in the province.

But Javed Iqbal Abbasi, a lawmaker from the area, hoped the project will improve Abbottabad’s image.

It will cost about $50 million and take five years to build. Construction will begin in a few weeks

Wedding woes: Minor contests fixed marriage in court

2013-02-05T11:16:00.002+05:00

Fourteen-year-old Shahista* has approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to challenge her parents’ decision of getting her married against her will.

A resident of Pir Gulab Shah in Hashatnagri area, Shahista recorded her statement before the PHC Human Rights Directorate (HRD) saying her father Gul Ahmed has decided to give her hand in marriage to their landlord Dr Irfan who is 40 years old.

She said her Nikah with Irfan was scheduled for February 3, but she escaped and took shelter at Hashatnagri Police Station. She added that Irfan is already married and has children from his first wife.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Shahista said she first approached the police who advised her to take the matter to court. She then called her brother-in-law Bakhtyar who took her to his place and later brought her to the PHC to record her statement before the HRD.

A bill to curtail child marriages in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) was recently rejected by most lawmakers in the provincial assembly. The bill was moved by MPA Munawar Sultana of the Awami National Party on private members day on January 11.

The bill aimed to increase the legal age of marriage for a girl from 16 to 18 and increase punishment for violators under the Child Marriage Restraint Act.

Downpours trigger avalanches in Dir

2013-02-05T11:15:00.002+05:00

Heavy winter downpours added to the cold wave sweeping central Pakistan and triggered avalanches in the north on Monday, burying and stranding dozens of people.

Six people – among them two engineers of a foreign construction company – were buried when an avalanches hit Upper Dir district on Monday.

Two engineers of a Korean construction firm and their guard were buried under tons of snow when an avalanche hit their camp in Lowari Tunnel in the early hours of Monday, a security official said. Other staffers of the company rushed to the Sambo camp on time and rescued the trapped people.

Later in the afternoon, an avalanche hit a security check post near the Pak-Afghan border in the Bin Shahi area of neighbouring Upper Dir district. “Three security personnel were buried under tons of snow,” the official said and identified the trapped soldiers as Nizam, Arif and Allah Bakhsh – all from the 33 Baloch Unit of Pakistan Army. A rescue operation is ongoing at the site.

Shangla and Swat districts witnessed the heaviest snowfall in 10 years, which disrupted communication and mobility.

“We have vacated our houses and shifted to safer areas amid fears of landslides. The jeep rally which was to be held today (Monday) has also been postponed,” Nazir, a resident of Kalaam bazaar, told The Express Tribune.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, a boat with 40 people onboard was stranded in the middle of the artificial Attabad Lake on Monday. The lake, which was formed as a result of a massive avalanche in January 2010, has been frozen by the freezing cold.

The stranded people – including women and children – were rescued after three hours of struggle, local sources told The Express Tribune.

All 40 people belonged to one family from Passu village in Gojal tehsil of Hunza-Nagar district. They were returning from Gilgit after attending a funeral. Residents of the nearby Shishkat village smashed the ice to reach the stranded people, according to a local journalist.

In Haripur district, five members of a family were swept away by flash floods triggered by heavy rain on Monday. Police and rescuers have launched a search operation for the missing individuals.

A woman was killed and two others were injured when the roof of a house collapsed due to heavy rain in the southern Karak district on Sunday night. Police said the family were asleep in their house in the Teri area when the roof caved in. All family members were trapped under the debris and died before rescuers could reach them.

The rain added to the cold wave in Lahore, where 2 millimeters rain was recorded with strong winds. Weather experts said the rain spell was likely to continue until Tuesday night. Minimum temperature was recorded at 8.5 degrees Celsius.

In Karachi, the temperature dropped to 14 degrees Celsius on Monday evening from 17.5 Celsius a day earlier after a weather system caused light showers across the province, the meteorological office said. (With additional reporting by our correspondents in Karachi and Lahore

Pushto folk music queen’s awards up for sale

2013-02-05T11:12:00.002+05:00

The ‘queen of Pushto folk music’ Zarsanga, has offered her lifetime’s worth of titles and awards up for sale at her home – a tent near Azakhel.

Her house in Pabbi tehsil was swept away in the 2010 floods and she has been displaced since. Talking to Express News in her tent, the 68-year-old said, “I have been to the US, France, Russia, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia among 60 more countries, but now I am just living a burdensome life.”

Rugs and trinkets collected on her many travels adorn her living space. A number of awards, medallions and certificates lie atop a metal box. Her goat stands close to her.

“It’s difficult for me to practice in the tent,” she said, adding that it too had been borrowed from someone else.

Born in 1946 in Zafar Mamakhel, a small village in Lakki Marwat district, Zarsanga belongs to a nomadic tribe. She started her career as a folk singer at the age of 20 when she recorded her first song with Radio Pakistan. After that, there was no looking back.

The singer was presented the presidential Pride of Performance Award in 1991 by former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan in recognition for her contribution to Pushto music.

“I am a nomad, wherever I go is my land; but I love this country (Pakistan), I don’t know why. I have mesmerised hundreds of people with my voice, singing in a language that is unknown to a foreigner, yet its reach is universal,” she said.

Zarsanga claims the government had promised to construct a house for her following the floods; however, the promise was never fulfilled. She says she has been forced to sell her titles and awards to buy a house and food for her family. “My six sons are working, but even then, constructing a house seems like an impossible task,” she said, adding that while she is living her life in a tent, she wishes to die beneath her own roof.

She severely criticised the provincial government for its claims of working for the wellbeing of artists, and said nearly 90% of Pukhtun artists and singers are living in poverty. The government gave me some money, but it was a nominal amount, she added.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Director Culture Pervaiz Khan, however, refuted the singer’s allegations and said the government has given Rs0.3 million to the singer in the last three years and has also invited her to various events. “We don’t have the budget to build a house for her,” the director added.

He claimed the government was helping around 150 artists and singers in K-P, adding that assisting such a large number of singers in the province with low budgets has left everyone in a position to point fingers at the government. “Recently, we paid Rs20,000 to many artists across the province,” Khan said, adding that if possible, the government will help the singer in the future.

Govt indifferent to citizens’ access to information right

2013-02-04T23:03:00.002+05:00

The passage of Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010 is considered significant for it allowed devolution of several subjects to the provinces through abolition of Concurrent Legislative List. One of the important developments in the amendment was the acceptance of right to information of a citizen as a fundamental right. The parliament introduced Article 19A in the Constitution through which the right to information was included in the Constitution for the first time. This step was taken for the sake of introducing transparency in overall governance system.

Article 19A states: “Every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law.” Prior to this the constitution provided right to freedom of speech and expression and freedom of press through Article 19, but these are also subject to restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan; friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court. It is now binding on the provincial government to introduce such laws which provide mechanism to citizens to have access to information in government departments. However, from its attitude it is evident that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is least interested in fulfilling its constitutional obligation.

One important development in this regard is the enactment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2012, which was passed by the provincial assembly in May 2012. Through this Act the government has replaced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Ordinance 2001, which was promulgated during Pervez Musharraf’s rule.

Interestingly, the framers of the previous law had ensured that the citizens should be entitled to have access to certain information. However, in the present Act those provisions have now been ignored.

Section 137 (1) of the ordinance provides: “Every citizen shall have the right to information about any office of the District Government, Tehsil Municipal Administration and Union Administration.” Furthermore, sub-section 2 provided that every office should provide requisite information, if not restricted under any law for the time being in force, on the prescribed forms and on payment of such fee as may be prescribed.

That provision further provided that information about the staffing and the performance of the office of a local government during the preceding month shall, as far as possible, be displayed at a prominent place within the premises of the office for access by the citizens.

In the previous law it was also ensured that the meetings of district council should be open to public. Section 42 (7) provides that the meeting of district council should be open to public, unless the council, by a resolution, decides to hold any meeting in camera. Section 54 (1) of the ordinance also provided that the tehsil municipal administration should be to maintain, with the assistance of the district government, union and village councils, a comprehensive data base and information system for tehsil municipal administration and provide public access to it on nominal charges.

Legal experts say that the government had diluted the said sections related to access to information and transparency in the new law. They said that while some sections were included in the new law for display of certain documents there was no section available, like section 137 of the previous law, which makes it binding on the officials to provide information to citizens.

In the present Act section 167 (3) provides that a copy of the annual statement of accounts shall be displayed at a conspicuous place in the office of the Local Council concerned for public inspection, and all objections or suggestions concerning such accounts received from the public shall be considered by the Local Council and brought to the notice of the concerned audit authority.

Over a decade has passed since the then government had introduced the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002. That law is only related to federal government departments and institutions and is not applicable to provincial departments. Legal experts believe that the provincial government should enact a law for providing the right to citizens to have access to information in public offices. Similarly, the Local Government Act 2012 should also be amended so as to include the provisions which were available in the previous law.

Rain lashes most parts of KP, Fata

2013-02-04T23:02:00.001+05:00

Heavy rain lashed most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), while hilly areas of Swat valley and upper parts of Hazara also received snowfall on Sunday.

The rain continued throughout the province all the day on Sunday paralysing daily routine of people, who mostly remained indoors.

According to the local Met office, Peshawar received 14 millimetre rain during past 14 hours. It has predicted more rain and snowfall in upper parts of the province.

Met officials said that Parachinar had received 10mm rain, Bannu 11mm, Saidu Sharif 19mm, Chitral and Dera Ismail Khan 4mm each, Kalam 2mm, Timergara 10mm, Drosh 6mm and Kohat 15 mm, while one inch snowfall was recorded in Malamjabba. The officials have forecasted more rain and snowfall during next 24 hours.

In Swat valley the hilly areas received heavy snowfall throughout the day on Sunday.

Residents said that the snowfall started on Saturday night and continued throughout Sunday, bringing the mercury down to freezing point. They said that Marghazar, Madyan, Malamjabba, Miandam, Behrain, Kalam and other areas had received heavy snow. People in these areas remained confined to their homes due to light drizzle and snowfall.

Meanwhile, several roads remained closed in upper parts of Swat due to heavy snowfall.

Mansehra also received rainfall, while upper parts of Hazara received heavy snowfall and rain causing severe cold in the region.The rain that started in Mansehra, Battagram and Kohistan districts early in morning continued intermittently for the entire day. The high altitude mountains in the region also received heavy snowfall.

Work begins on Hazara amusement city

2013-02-04T23:01:00.001+05:00

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports and Tourism Minister Syed Aqil Shah launched work on
project at Harno here on Sunday.

The project would be completed on public-private partnership to provide recreational facilities to people.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Mr Shah said that the government was taking steps to revive tourism and sports activities in the province. He said that work had been started on three major tourism projects in Hazara, including water sports (Khanpur-Haripur), eco-tourism (Naran-Kaghan) and the amusement city project at Harno in Abbottabad. He said that Rs3 billion estimated cost of these projects would be managed by Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Shah said that 20 per cent income earned through each of the project would be spent on the development of the respective area, while priority would be given to residents in different jobs.

Earlier, project director Kaleemuddin said that the proposed project would offer several facilities to tourists, including heritage park, wildlife zoo, amusement park, parrot house, pigeon house, snake home, food huts, heritage train, water sports, boating, mini golf course, hotel, guest house, water birds zoo, skiing ramps, jogging tracks, rock climbing, adventure club and paragliding. The five-phase project would be completed in eight years. Majority of tourists coming to Abbottabad and other hilly areas of Galyat often stay at Harno

iPillow

2013-02-04T22:55:00.001+05:00

Sethi House reopens for tourists

2013-02-02T10:48:00.000+05:00

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Archaeology, Museums, Sports and Youth Affairs Syed Aqil Shah on Friday inaugurated the renovated Sethi House and declared its lower portion open for the visitors.
Secretary Archeology and Museums Syed Jamaluddin Shah, Director Archeology Dr Shah Nazar, Ms Farida Nishtar and Ghulam Dastagir Sethi were also present. Sethi House had been built in 1884 and the present government had issued funds for its renovation. The renovation work on its lower portion has been completed.

Syed Aqil Shah said the street from main road to Sethi House would be developed and the whole Sethi Mohallah would be made a hub of tourists. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was full of tourist attraction sites, including Gandhara and Buddhist civilisations.
He said soon tour packages would come to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the whole country and the visitors would witness worth seeing sites, including the Sethi House. Syed Aqil Shah said Gor Gathri would be
turned into an artisan village wherein handicrafts would be displayed. He asked the ministry of inter-provincial coordination to hand over the PTDC properties to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government as according to the 18th Constitutional Amendment the PTDC properties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be in control of the provincial government.

KP reinstates 4,000 sacked employees

2013-02-02T10:42:00.004+05:00

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has restored more than 4,000 civil servants, who were sacked by the second Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government in the province after declaring them redundant, officials say.

The restoration of their services has come after the Election Commission of Pakistan’s ban on ‘all kinds of recruitments’ in the public sector, according to official documents available with Dawn.

“The provincial authorities are of the view that the decision to restore their services had been taken much before the Election Commission’s decision, banning the new recruitments,” said an official.

However, according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Establishment Department’s appointment letter, in one particular case, the restored employee, who has been appointed against a BPS-07 post, has been informed that his appointment ‘shall be considered

as fresh appointment.’

A difference of opinion prevails among the official circles contacted by Dawn to ascertain their opinion about the ‘fresh’ appointments following the Election Commission’s recently imposed restrictions on recruitments in the public sector entities.

Defending the provincial government’s move to issue appointment letter to the restored employees, a well-placed official said the election commission’s instructions did not stand violated because the decision to restore the employees had been taken by the provincial government back in November 2011.

Another official saw the execution of the decision as in negation of the election commission’s instructions.

In an official notification dated January 24, 2013, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Delimitation Authority, Local Government and Rural Development Department informed all the administrative secretaries, inspector general of police, all the divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners that “all kind of recruitments in any Ministry, Division, Department or
Institution of the federal government or any department or institution of any provincial and local governments is banned forthwith except recruitments by the federal or a provincial service commission.”

In view of the above mentioned instructions, added an official, the sacked employees could not be reemployed.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Establishment department issued an appointment letter on January 29, 2013, and informed the reappointment employee concerned that “…your appointment shall be considered as fresh appointment,” making some circles to believe that this appears to a clear violation of the election commission’s instructions.

A knowledgeable official said that the department has issued identical appointment letters to around a dozen employees reappointed against BPS-07 posts.

“Other departments, too, are in the process of reemploying all those employees who had been sacked by the PML-N government,” said the official. Their number totals more than 4500, according to sources.

According to the government’s decision, the freshly appointed employees would not be entitled to pension, seniority or promotion or other back benefits.

The Establishment department’s letter issued to a particular BPS-7 employee contains that “you will not be entitled to any claim of seniority, promotion or other back benefits and your appointment shall be considered as fresh appointment.”Furthermore,
the subject employee has been informed, under his appointment letter, that “you will for all intents and purposes be civil servant except for the purpose of pension and gratuity, you shall be entitled to receive such amount as would be contributed by you towards Contributory Provident Fund along with the contributions made by government to your account in the said fund
in the prescribed manner.”

The fresh appointments, according to the document, have been made initially for a period of one year extendable for further period of one year.

The move to reappoint thousands of employees has been seen by political observers as an attempt on the part of the provincial government to lure a maximum number of voters ahead of the next general elections.

As per the government’s decision, the sacked employees have been reemployed on temporary basis as according to an appointment letter, the reappointed employee concerned has been informed that “your appointment is on temporary and liable to be terminated at any time without assigning any reason before the expiry of the period of probation/extended period of probation, if your performance during this period is not found satisfactory.”

Vast govt land reoccupied in D.I. Khan

2013-02-02T10:42:00.003+05:00

Around 7,090 kanals of government land in Dera Ismail Khan district has been reoccupied by the people evicted earlier, official sources have said.

The department got possession of the farmlands after the standing committee on agriculture, livestock and corporation department of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly took notice of the matter in 2011.

However, occupants expelled staff of the department and took over the lands again, sources said.

“Lessees, who were expelled with the help of police and the district administration, have reoccupied lands,” an official said, adding that the department and the local administration were helpless to expel land grabbers.

According to the house’s committee report, five seed farms measuring 7,090 kanals and 12 marlas belonging to the agriculture department were leased out to several people in the district. However, the leaseholders refused to hand over possession to the department after termination of the agreement.

MPA Israrullah Khan Gandapur had raised the issue in the assembly through a question and the matter was referred to the relevant committee of the assembly.

The report said after deliberations and meetings with the senior officers of agriculture and revenue departments the committee involved district administration and directed to get vacated illegal occupants and possession of the land was handed over to the agriculture department.

Officials said farmland belonged to the agriculture department but the agreement with lessees was signed by the revenue department in 2006.

They said these farms were handed over to the revenue department.

Chairman of the standing committee Ali Shah Bacha told Dawn on Friday that the lease agreement was not transparent and the revenue department had terminated the deal in 2007.

He said despite that, the aggrieved party refused to vacate the land.

Mr Bacha said the government could terminate the lease agreement unilaterally.

“In fact, the land was prepared to develop seed farms and not to lease out to private parties. That was why the agreement was terminated,” he said, adding that lessees had approached the local court and the case was decided in favour of the government.

However, he said, these people were not ending possession.

“We have heard that the land has been reoccupied. But what the committee can do? The committee’s job was to get vacate illegal occupants from the state land. Now, it is the government and the relevant department’s responsibility to maintain possession of its property,” he said.

Mr Bacha confirmed that land grabbers were supported by an influential political family and it was very difficult to expel influential people from the government land.

Sources said officials in agriculture and revenue departments were hand in gloves with land grabbers.

A lawmaker from the area insisted that the local authorities’ leniency had encouraged land grabbers to reoccupy the land.

eturn of FC personnel to KP: Interior minister, secretary issued contempt notices

2013-02-02T10:42:00.001+05:00

The Peshawar High Court on Thursday issued contempt notices to the interior minister and secretary for violating its order for redeployment of Frontier Constabulary platoons to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from other parts of the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Khalid Mahmood directed the interior minister and the secretary to submit their respective written replies to the contempt notice and show cause why they should be not proceeded against for committing contempt of the court for disregarding and flouting its clear order issued on Nov 6, 2012.

The bench later fixed the next hearing into the case for Feb 19.

Joint secretary of the interior ministry Akhtar Jan Wazir requested the bench that they should be given at least six months time for the implementation of the court’s order.

He said due to precarious law and order situation in rest of the country and as elections had also been in the offing, the interior ministry was not in a position for redeployment of FC platoons.

When the bench asked about the steps taken by the federal government for implementation of the order, the secretary said work on the order had yet to be initiated.

The bench observed that on Nov 6, it had issued the order after commitments were made by deputy attorney general Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand, deputy secretary of the interior ministry Mohammad Mureed and official of FC Haroonur Rasheed that the need of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province would be fulfilled by withdrawing some platoons in other areas.

It had disposed of the petition of the provincial government for redeployment of FC platoons to the province on Nov 6 directing the three officials to fulfill the commitments within two months.

In light of an earlier order of the court an important meeting was held under the chairmanship of the interior secretary on Oct 22 in Islamabad which was also attended by the additional interior secretary, FC commandant and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa home secretary.

In that meeting, it was agreed upon that the current law and order situation in the province required enhancement of deployment of FC to strengthen the provincial government.

When the bench took up for hearing the case on Thursday, it expressed displeasure over the sending of more platoons from this province to Islamabad without the consent of the provincial government during the long march of Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran Dr Tahirul Qadri.

The chief justice observed that instead of following the court order, the interior ministry took away more platoons from the province leaving thousands of the people at the mercy of militants.

The chief justice observed that the FC was a very valuable force raised by the British rulers but the government had turned them into mercenaries by sending them to different areas like Karachi, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad and along with the armed forces in tribal areas. He added that platoons of FC had now been deputed on VIP protocol duties in Islamabad.

The bench observed that the purpose for which FC was raised was primarily to act as a shield between the settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas and now those volatile areas were without that shield as platoons were withdrawn and shifted to other provinces.

The joint secretary said 108 platoons were deputed with army in Fata, 60 platoons were deputed in Sindh, while 35 others were in Islamabad. He added that still vast number of personnel had been deployed in this province apart from several platoons serving with multi national companies in oil and gas fields in Kohat and Karak.

Peshawar to get mass transit system

2013-02-02T10:41:00.001+05:00

With completion of its term only a few weeks away, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned mass transit system for the provincial capital.

Highlighting performance and achievements of the transport department during the last four and a half years, provincial minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a news conference on Thursday said a special initiative feasibility study on mass transit system for Peshawar had been approved and that would be conducted with the technical assistance of Asian Development Bank.

He added that a memorandum of understanding had already been signed under which the bank would provide $372,000 million for the study work on which is likely to get underway next month.

The minister said terms of reference had been prepared and the hiring of international consultant/expert was under process for the proposed plan. He said the proposed mass transit system would help ease traffic pressure in the provincial capital.

Transport secretary Sikandar Qayyum, who was accompanying the minister, said data of vehicles and road network would be studied in the feasibility report, which was likely to be finished in June next year.

He said the existing railway track passing through the city, cantonment up to Hayatabad, would be covered in the feasibility report and the facility could benefit the users of inter-city roads.

The secretary said the department concerned had no consolidated data about vehicles therefore it was imperative to compile first hand information about vehicle population and road network in Peshawar. He said the planning development department and Peshawar Development Authority would also assist the project.

The minister said encroachment and security barriers were root causes of traffic mess in the city.

He said one of the 11 roads in Peshawar was fit for traffic, while the remaining could not be used due to encroachments. He added that efforts were underway to remove these encroachments to make them useable for traffic.

The minister said the size of revenue from the transport sector had increased due to financial management and in the last four and a half years, the department had generated the Rs439.11 million revenue, which was 85 per cent of the target of Rs580.85 million.

He said vehicular testing emission centres, training centres, motor vehicle examiners and issuing driving licences previously operating under the local government, police and environment departments had been handed over to the department. He said VETS facility had been introduced in Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan and Mardan, where 144,882 vehicles had been examined and that these stations had generated Rs 16.596 million through vehicle examination.

Mr Hussain said for Afghanistan, the number of route permits had been increased from six to 13 due to higher demand.

He said the department had introduced computerised route permits for the regional transport authority and the provincial transport authority in 2012.

Regarding delay in the construction of general bus stand in Peshawar, the minister said Chinese companies were interested in establishing standard bus terminal but the company could not deploy manpower in the wake of attacks on Chinese engineers.

He admitted that the department could not implement the prescribed inter-cities transport fare rates.

Delay in Peshawar road project: Many top officials facing contempt

2013-02-02T10:40:00.003+05:00

The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday issued show cause notices to the federal communication and finance secretaries, the National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman and two other officials for explaining the delay in construction of Peshawar Northern Bypass Road despite their assurances given two years ago about speedy work on the project.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Khalid Mahmood directed the two secretaries, the chairman, the director general of Peshawar Development Authority and the provincial secretary of communication and works department to submit their replies and explain why the show cause notice should not be converted into a contempt of court case as they had deliberately violated the court’s order.

It later fixed the next hearing for Feb 27 directing the officials in question to submit their respective replies.

The court has taken suo moto notice of the issue after delay in completion of the projects.

The judges observed that in Aug 2010, the relevant NHA and communication ministry officials had made a commitment that the project would be completed within three months.

It added that Northern Bypass passing through the northern outskirts of the provincial capital was vital for the city due to increasing traffic mess on its major roads, including University Road and Ring Road.

The bench voiced annoyance when legal adviser of NHA Sikandar Rashid and member of NHA Yousaf Ali said the phase one of the project would be completed in June 2013, while there was a possibility of completion of the next two phases by 2020.

The chief justice asked why work had not been begun on the next two phases. The officials replied that funds had not been allocated for those phases.

The chief justice expressed displeasure over it and observed how wrong commitment could be made to the court.

Deputy attorney general Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand said officials of NHA and communication ministry had made the said commitment in 2010 and he had contacted several officials in this respect but to no avail.

He added that the federal communication minister belonged to Peshawar but even then, the project was moving on a snail’s pace.

The bench regretted that the project of Northern Bypass had been placed on a backburner and according to schedule, it was likely to be completed by 2020.

It added that vehicular traffic on University Road up to Hayatabad Township and on GT Road had become absolutely unmanageable as the capacity of roads were considerably less then the pressure of vehicular traffic and because of frequent jamming of traffic on roads thousands of commuters remained stuck up for hours.

In its order, the bench observed that it was shameful for all state functionaries that they had been treating people of the area with contempt and had not been fulfilling their legal and constitutional obligation.

It added that commuters had been turning into psychological patients due to chaotic traffic and day was not far away when people of the metropolitan city might agitate and then the situation would be unmanageable for the federal and provincial governments.

“In that situation, the state functionaries will be held responsible as they had been delaying the project of Northern Bypass,” it observed.

Scholarship programme ray of hope for poor students

2013-02-02T10:36:00.001+05:00

My mother has told me to save money from my monthly scholarship, which is to last a year, for higher education,” according to a shinning student of University of Peshawar.

Rizwanullah, student of second semester of bachelor of studies in UoP environmental sciences department, told Dawn that he would have been unable to get admission to the university had the provincial government not financially supported him by giving him scholarship.

“My parents admitted me to a government school as they couldn’t afford to pay my Rs500 monthly tuition fee when I was a student of a private school,” he said.

Rizwanullah, resident of Hassankhel area of Frontier Region Peshawar, got 856 of 1,050 marks (81 per cent) in Secondary School Certificate examination in 2009. He later passed intermediate examination in 2011 from Government Higher Secondary School, Sama Badhber, FR Peshawar.

The youngster remained the top first position holder among the students of government schools by obtaining 838 of 1,100 marks (77 per cent).

Being on the list of brilliant students enrolled in the government schools, he earned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s scholarship titled ‘Stori da Pakhtunkhwa’ (Star of Pakhtunkhwa) programme. Currently, he draws monthly stipend of Rs15,000.

‘Stori da Pakhtunkhwa’ programme was launched in 2011 for brilliant students enrolled in government schools.

Under the programme, the provincial government give Rs10,000 and Rs15,000 for one year as scholarship to top ten position holders of each board of SSC and intermediate respectively.

Around 700 students have been benefiting from the scholarship programme for two years, said an official of the elementary and secondary education department. All these students belong to the lower middle class of the society as well-off and middle class don’t admit their children to government schools.

“My father is a watchman in a factory in Balochistan. His salary is Rs7,500 a month,” Rizwanullah told Dawn. He said that his elder brother was a driver in Karachi while younger one was a labourer. They also wanted to get education but my father couldn’t afford their tuition fees, he said.

“Even my father had also asked my mother to let me out from the private school but my mother opposed and insisted to continue study,” he said.

After qualifying SSC examination, Rizawanullah got admission in the government higher secondary school Sama Badhber in FR Peshawar. He said he avoided taking pocket money from his mother as he understood the financial condition of his mother. “My mother used to give me Rs100 per week as pocket money,” he said.

According to him, it was a surprise and happy news for his family when it learnt that the government would pay him Rs15,000 per month.

Now, he is a student of the second semester of four years Bachelor of Studies programme in environmental sciences department and so far paid fee of the two semesters.
“I pay Rs14,000 per semester,” he said.

As the government would support him for one year, he said his mother had asked him not to waste the money and save it for further education as his father couldn’t afford continuation of his higher education.

Mr Rizwanullah said after paying Rs28,000 for the two semesters, he had Rs40,000 in his bank account and that money had been saved from the monthly scholarship.