PESHAWAR, Jan 4: A committee, constituted for acquisition of land for a residential colony for journalists, has been asked to submit its report within 10 days.

The committee was formed by the NWFP Minister for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development, Sardar Mohammad Idrees, on the directives of Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani. It will work under the provincial secretary for local government.

The announcement was made in a meeting with a delegation of journalists headed by M. Riaz, president-elect of the Peshawar Press Club, at the Civil Officers’ Mess here on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by newly-elected office-bearers of the press club and journalists, including Rahimullah Yusufzai, Faizur Rahman and Shamim Shahid. It was also attended by District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali, Secretary of the Local Council Board Rahmat Ghazi and Additional Secretary Local Government Mohammad Tayyab.

The president-elect of the press club briefed the minister about problems faced by the journalist community and underlined the need for announcing a housing scheme by the provincial government on the pattern of Punjab and Sindh.

The provincial minister said that the MMA government believed in media’s freedom and it was trying to solve working journalists’ problems, adding that the chief minister was taking a keen interest in this regard.

Sardar Idrees said that the provincial government would provide all possible assistance in setting up residential schemes for journalists.

The seven-member committee, tasked with locating a suitable site for the housing scheme, would be chaired by provincial Secretary Local Government Dr Hamad Awais Agha.

Its members included Provincial Information Secretary Ahsanullah, District Nazim Ghulam Ali, DCO Jahanzeb Khan, DG CD&MD Sareer Ahmed, president of the Peshawar Press Club M. Riaz and Ismail Khan.