TIMERGARA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Education Atif Khan on Wednesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf believed in change through strengthening institutions, ending corruption and upholding merit. He maintained that the PTI never pledged construction of roads, buildings and drains to change people’s lives for good.

He stated this while addressing a party meeting at Kamangra Talash.

On the occasion, a former union council nazim, Mohammad Ibrahim along with family members and several elected councillors, announced to quit the ANP and joined the PTI.

Atif Khan said the PTI-led government was working on institutionalisation of government departments to let them function without political interference.

The minister said criminals and corrupt people supported political parties and their leaderships in the past, but the PTI had ‘ended’ that practice.

“Being a minister I couldn’t even appoint a constable in police department,” the minister said, “which is the real change that PTI has brought about in the province.”

Atif Khan said the government had introduced a system of award and punishment in all departments which had helped improve service delivery.

He said cases against 7,200 schoolteachers had been registered for negligence of duty, while Rs145 million had been distributed among other teachers for their good performance.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: The civil society organisations of Lower Dir on Wednesday demanded practical steps to end all kinds of violence and discrimination against women.

The demand was made at an event held at the press club here organised by the Awaz Foundation, Lower Dir chapter, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The speakers complained that the state had kept silence on the violence against women.

They said Pakistani women were facing physical, psychological, political, economic and social violence and that it was the state’s responsibility to address such issues.

The participants said women faced discrimination in all sectors whether it was education, health or development. They said violence against women and other vulnerable communities could not be ended until they had share in decision making process.

The civil society activists said women in Dir had always been subjected to discrimination, and sometimes violence.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015