PESHAWAR, June 5: A provincial parliamentarian forum on HIV/Aids and an advocacy committee have been constituted to launch a campaign in four selected districts to create awareness about of the disease and also educate people about its prevention.

The decision was taken at the provincial parliamentary seminar arranged by UNAIDS on Monday organised.

The seminar aimed at structuring parliamentary forum and chalking out a work plan was presided over by NWFP Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan.

A 16-member forum, consisting of members from the ruling party, opposition benches and women MPAs, was constituted, and an advocacy committee comprising religious leaders, media men and members from the civil society was also formed.

MPA Qazi Asad was appointed as chairman and Mian Nisar Gul as co-chairman of the committee.

The bodies were assigned the task of initiating series of activities to educate people about risk factors of HIV/Aids and guide them to adopt responsible behaviour to avert the threat of the killer disease in Peshawar, Kohat, DI Khan and Buner disticts.

NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan said that elected representatives, religious leaders and members of the civil society were being involved in the struggle against HIV/Aids to establish effective communication links with people to create awareness among them.

“We want to reach the masses to open their minds about the issue, as intensity of the problem is denied due to the absence of a good surveillance system, while potential risks are there,” he said.

He stressed the need for chalking out a combined strategy to control HIV and hepatitis.

Mr Bakht Jehan Khan said that formation of the forum had made it clear that awareness was the only way to overcome problems.

“It was shocking to know that majority of the HIV positive patients belonged to working age group and the disease was destroying their working capacity,” he said.

UNAIDS Country Coordinator Dr Aldo Landi, while explaining purpose of structuring the Parliamentarian Forum, said that efforts were under way to involve parliamentarians globally in the sensitive issue of Aids.