PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Thursday approved 16 new prosecutor positions for the counter-terrorism department, insisting that the prosecutors to be drawn from the prosecution service will increase the effectiveness of CTD prosecutions and improve conviction rates.

The cabinet, which met at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair, also sanctioned the establishment of the Police Training School and School of Tactics in Dera Ismail Khan, along with the creation of 60 new positions at the training school, according to an official statement issued here.

It also granted approval to the proposed allocation of Rs1 billion for building police capacity, with the money to be utilised for procuring armoured personnel carriers and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from Heavy Industries Taxila.

The cabinet approved 791 new police positions for Tank and Lakki Marwat districts, a draft law for the welfare of overseas Pakistanis, and a proposal to hold the Rahmatullil Aalameen conferences across the province to highlight various aspects of the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

16 new prosecutor positions for CTD also approved

Furthermore, it decided to formally inform the federal government about the KP Assembly’s July 23 resolution demanding the withdrawal of all “fake” cases against former lawmaker of the ruling PTI Murad Saeed, provision of security to him, conferment of Tamgha-i-Shujaat to encourage young politicians, and efforts to ensure his safe return as he’s currently in hiding.

During the meeting, the cabinet also decided to formally convey another assembly resolution against Israeli aggression against Palestinians, for the Palestinian cause and about Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s martyrdom to the federal government.

Endorsing a provincial assembly resolution, it urged the federal government to free incarcerated PTI leader and former prime minister Imran Khan and all other “political prisoners”.

The cabinet also endorsed a proposal to inform the federal government about the KP Assembly’s resolution about the recent declaration of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that all cases under which Imran and other PTI leaders were detained lacked requisite evidence and that the trial conducted against them violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international rights covenants.

The resolution passed by the provincial assembly last month said, “Incarcerated prime minister Imran Khan is 71 and the people older than 60 years of age in the places of deprivation of liberty face a heightened risk of physical mental integrity and life.”

It also approved several other resolutions, condemning the illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by India and aggression against innocent Kashmiris by occupation forces.

Another resolution adopted by the house resented an attack by Afghan miscreants on Pakistan’s consulate in Germany.

The cabinet also gave approval to the proposed law for the registration of brick kilns in the province, a hike in gas and petroleum royalties for Hangu, Karak and Kohat districts from 10 per cent to 15 per cent and the fixing of the minimum wage in the province at Rs36,000.

It endorsed Rs8.835 million expenditure in the recent floods in 13 districts of the province and Rs143.59 million spent on the homecoming of Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan after violent clashes.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024