NOWSHERA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar said on Wednesday that the senior citizen bill would be passed soon from the provincial assembly as the process of legislation on the bill was in final phase.

“Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has been making efforts to fulfil the promises it has made with people regarding provision of cheap justice and special legislation to benefit the aged people,” said the Mr Qaisar while addressing a gathering on th occasion of International Day of Older Persons here at Nowshera Cantt. Prominent among the attendants were MNA Mohammad Siraj, deputy commissioner Zakaullah Khattak and others.

Mr Qaiser, who was also chief guest on the occasion, said that elder people were the most respectable strata of the society and their rights would be protected at all cost. “It is responsibility of the state to protect rights of the elder people.”

Special counters, seats in public transport and regard would be given to senior citizen in all the government and nongovernmental departments, he said.

Special counters, seats in public transport for elderly being considered

Regarding the local government election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he told mediapersons that they were trying to fulfil all requirements for holding the LG election in the province. He said that PTI wanted to empower the people at grass-roots and LG election was the best way to do that.

Criticising the propaganda of opposition parties regarding the lookafter of Waziristan IDPs, he said that the government had provided all basic facilities to them.

He said that they would also try to facilitate them if return process of IDPs started.

Mr Qisar said that a huge funds had been allocated for constructing embankments at Kabal river to protect the people in case of any flood in future.

Answering a question, he said that the opposition parties had not submitted their requisition for convening the provincial assembly regarding no-confidence motion. “The assembly session would be called as soon as they submit the requisition,” he said.

Mr Siraj stressed on the legislation for benefit of the elderly, adding they were ready to cooperate with other parties in this regard.

President of Federation of Elder People Association, Nowshera, Shakir Hussain said that it was great achievement that the government was supporting the approval of Senior Citizen Bill, adding that the process should be accelerated.

SACRIFICIAL ANNIMALS: Ummah Welfare Trust (UWT), a UK- based NGO, has announced to arrange collective sacrifice of animals worth around Rs121 million on Eidul Azha.

UWT will sacrifice 2,000 large and 3,500 small animals, a press release issued by the trust said. Meat of the sacrificial animals would be distributed among the internally displaced persons of North Waziristan and the flood-affected people of Punjab and Azad Khasmir as well as the deserving people of Afghanistan.

UWT chairman Maulana Mohammad Idress said here on Wednesday that this was the only occasion when the poor and needy in the society got the opportunity to receive a handsome amount of meat.

He said that delivery of sacrificial meat should ensured to every poor and needy person.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014