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PESHAWAR, April 10: NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, on Tuesday made it clear there was no going back on the institution-based practice by government employed doctors and ruled out the possibility of any change in the policy.
“There will be no going back. There will be no compromise,” he told senior journalists at the well-lit and spacious Darbar Hall of Governor House.
During an hour-long discussion, the governor spoke about the upcoming referendum, the issue of doctors’ private practice, Afghan refugees and the growing number of incidents of kidnapping for ransom in Peshawar.
He said he had told doctors that there would be no stepping back from the government’s decision to confine the government-employed doctors to practise at public hospitals only.
He said that efforts to regulate the practice of government-employed doctors had been afoot for over a decade and recounted the numerous meetings his former health minister Dr Shaheen Sardar Ali had had with the doctors community to reach some kind of agreement with them. “Their efforts, however, were aimed at failing the IBP,” the governor remarked.
He said the government had assured the doctors that it would look into all their genuine problems that hampered smooth functioning of the IBP, including the insufficient diagnostic and other facilities at government hospitals. “But their problem was something else. They were worried about the tax they would have to pay on their income. They don’t want to pay taxes.”
He said the government had no grudge against the doctors. “Even if we have to part, we should part like good friends.”
AFGHAN REFUGEES: Governor Iftikhar said the Afghan finance minister, Hidayat Amin Arsala had raised the issue of relocation of refugees at Nasirbagh camp and had sought extension in the deadline for their evacuation. He said he had told the Afghan minister during President Gen Musharraf’s visit to Kabul recently that the government would extend the deadline by another three months but the refugees would have to eventually vacate the land that was being utilised for Regi Lalma Housing Scheme — the second biggest housing scheme in Pakistan after Islamabad.
“We have revived the project and the land will have to be vacated.”
KIDNAPPINGS: He said the “vacuum” created by the deployment of law enforcement agencies elsewhere in view of the border situation was largely to blame for the rising number of kidnapping incidents.
He said he had told the tribal people from Darra Adamkhel that he would not hesitate in merging the area with the settled districts, if gun-running, drug-trafficking and other crimes were not stopped. “An extensive drive has now been launched to flush out criminals,” he said, and hoped the situation would improve as a result.
REFERENDUM: The governor urged the people to take part in the referendum and exercise their right of vote and say whatever they wanted to say. He said that his government would ensure that the referendum was held in a peaceful and orderly manner. He said that the initial feedback from independent sources had revealed that an overwhelming majority of the people was in favour of allowing the President to continue holding his office for the next five years.
He said the continuity would bring improvement in the reforms already brought about. “There is no magic solution. Things will take time to improve,” he remarked.
Answering a question, he said his government would not seize vehicles to use them for transporting people to polling booths. “We don’t have the money to do that,” he said. He said the number of polling booths had been doubled and while there would also be mobile polling booths to facilitate the people in casting their votes as near their place as possible. He categorically said that no money had been allocated to the district governments for referendum. He said that international observers and monitors would oversee the referendum to ensure impartiality.
Asked whether extension of rule for the President would also mean continuation of the incumbent governors in their offices, a smiling Governor Iftikhar remarked that was immaterial.
“What is material is the continuity of the President.”
He said the president would start his public mobilization campaign for the referendum from Bannu on April 10.
