PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government informed the provincial assembly on Monday that the police and prison departments didn’t utilised even a single penny from Rs1.06 billion development funds allocated for Bajaur tribal district in the financial year 2019-20.

In response to a question of Pakistan Peoples Party member Nighat Yasmin Orakzai, the home department told the house that of the Rs1.06 billion Bajaur funds, Rs50 million was released to the police and Rs34.28 million to the prison department but both departments failed to spend them.

Ms Orakzai said the same pattern had been repeated by all other departments in the merged tribal districts.

She said the departments and their attached directorates were unable to justify non- utilisation of funds in the tribal districts.

Independent MPA resents rising targeted killings in N. Waziristan

Speaking on a supplementary question, independent MPA from North Waziristan tribal district Mir Kalam Khan expressed concern about the increasing number of targeted killings in his home district and said 51 people had lost life in such incidents in 2019 and 22 in the current year.

Special assistant to the chief minister on communication and works Riaz Khan acknowledged the non-utilisation of funds by the police and prison departments in Bajaur district.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, who chaired the sitting, referred the question to the relevant committee of the house for examination and recommendations.

During question hour, Awami National Party MPA Shagufta Malik said the government didn’t construct a single separate sporting ground for women in the province despite the allocation of two per cent funds for the purpose in the budget.

Law minister Akbar Ayub said the women’s gyms were being set up in all divisional headquarters of the province.

He said Rs700 million had been allocated for the purpose.

The minister said a gym had been set up at the Ladies Club in Peshawar at the cost of Rs35 million, while another such gym was being established in the Qayyum Sports Complex at a cost of Rs5 million.

Responding to another question, the minister said a plan was under consideration for the development of picnic facilities in five irrigation reservoirs of the province.

He said 10 sites had been identified including five small dams in different districts.

The minister said Rs167 million had been allocated and Section 4 had been invoked at the identified sites for land acquisition.

Replying to a calling attention notice, health minister Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra informed the house that Covid-19 had been contained in some districts due to certain precautionary measures.

He said the virus positivity rate had reduced from 15 per cent to 12 per cent in the province. The minister said the positivity rate was 30 per cent in Buner district, which was currently 15 per cent.

He said the steps taken for containing the infection should not be politicised.

Responding to a supplementary question regarding a woman giving birth to a boy at the gate of the Lady Reading Hospital’s gynaecological department, the minister insisted that the woman reached the hospital ‘very late’.

He said the department would have taken action against the relevant staff members if negligence was found on the matter.

The minister slammed the MPA for ‘blowing up a non-issue’.

The assembly passed the Peshawar Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021, after a lengthy debate on two amendments proposed by the opposition members.

Lawmakers Nighat Orakzai and Inayatullah Khan had suggested amendments to Section 6 (Y-I) of the bill.

Inayatullah said the government should not follow the model of the Defence Housing Authority and Bahria Town, which had been acquiring lands for housing schemes through land sharing formula with landowners.

“The government should not become land mafia,” he said.

The lawmaker urged the government either to withdraw amendment to Section 6 or sign formal agreements with landowners before acquiring lands.

He asked the government to make legislation to protect agricultural lands.

Law minister Akbar Ayub dismissed the apprehensions of the opposition members and assured them that their suggestions would be accommodated in the PDA rules.

He said the government was establishing the Gandhara City on barren land near Peshawar over 106,000 kanals of land.

The minister said a new township had been proposed near Charsadda Interchange, while Phase-VIII of Hayatabad Township would be developed in future.

Special assistant to chief minister for minority affairs Wazirzada moved a resolution asking the police in his Chitral district to make the police’s verification of non-locals seeking marriage with the local girls to prevent the plight of unsuspecting women.

He said outsiders were misusing marriages and many of women, who were married to men from outside of the district, faced uncertain future and some of them even ended up committing suicides.

Another resolution moved by MPA Inayatullah Khan demanded of the federal government to make amendment to Article 27 of the Constitution saying the period provided for the giving protection to reserve seats in services including superior services had expired.

The joint resolution said the federal government should take steps to amend Article 27 of the Constitution, which was aimed at extending the period for the purpose to further 20 years. The session was prorogued.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2021

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