Students at Peshawar govt school forced to study on the roof

[Champion_Usmani]

Seven years on: Mardan Medical College still awaits completion

PESHAWAR:

Two successive governments could not complete building of Bacha Khan Medical College in Mardan which should have been ready for educational activities by June 2014.
Awami National Party (ANP) government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had inaugurated Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan on January 1, 2010 at Sheikh Maltoon Town, Mardan with the cost of Rs1.7 billion.

At the same year the college recognised it by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and affiliated with Khyber Medical University Peshawar. At that point in time the college had temporary started in two places including Mardan Medical Complex and a rented building at Sheikh Maltoon Mardan.

According to BKMC documents the required amount for the completion of main building was Rs1.7 billion and it completion date was June 2014. However, the college official shared that due to delay in releasing of funds the building has so far not been completed and it would take long time if the same process of releasing amount continues in future.

Bacha Khan University VC’s appointment who faces sexual harassment charges challenged

On the other hand District Mardan Nazim Himyatullah Mayar in his social media post shared that the project required amount is Rs 1.7 billion while, the previous ANP government had allocated Rs 800 million for completion of it building while incumbent government has failed to release the remaining amount and provide the required facilities and complete the ongoing work on the building.

He blamed that PTI government had spend Rs 200 million in five years while the allocated amount for BKMC has been spent in their other favourite projects. “If the construction work and releasing of amount continues at this pace in future governments, the project may be complete in coming 55 years,” Mayar predicted.

Speaking to The Express Tribune BKMC Project Director and Dean Prof. Dr. Muhammad Israr admitted the slow work of the project due to lack of funds. He said that the project completion time was June 2014 but due to delay and some technical faults the project could not be completed on time.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1644022/1-seven-years-mardan-medical-college-still-awaits-completion/

 

[Champion_Usmani]

The reality of fastest growth in K-P

By: Dr Pervez Tahir

In a TV interview, Imran Khan boasted that K-P was the fastest growing economy in Pakistan. The claim was based on Dr Hafiz Pasha’s latest book. Apparently, the Khan had not read the book. That is why he attributed the achievement to the end of high level corruption, higher investment in the wake of peace ensured by better policing and resurgent tourism during the PTI government. According to the book, the province has registered an average annual growth of 5.2 per cent for the past 15 years. Growth was 5.4 per cent during “Maulana diesel’s” period, 4.9 per cent during the “corrupt” ANP’s regime and 5.1 per cent under the PTI government. The PTI has barely maintained the historical average. There is no difference here between the corrupt and the non-corrupt regimes. Growth, says the book, was mainly driven by remittances from abroad and other provinces, which comprise 20 per cent of the household income. Next in importance was the transport sector boosted by the Afghan transit trade and the Nato supply movement. None of this falls in the provincial policy domain. It is not clear whether Dr Pasha has treated Fata as part of the K-P economy or, like others, ignored it. A study done for the UNDP by Dr Nadia Tahir shows that the share of Fata in the national GDP is around 2 per cent. Foreign and domestic remittances, which according to Dr Pasha form a significant part of the K-P economy, are also the major source of livelihoods in Fata.

Whatever the sources of growth, the main point of the book is that the K-P growth was higher than all other provinces in the past 15 years. In the interview, the Khan could not hide his glee while pointing out that Dr Pasha’s wife is finance minister of the competition, Punjab. During the past four years, the book shows Punjab’s growth at 4.6 per cent compared to K-P’s 5.1 per cent. At the launch of “The Punjab Economic Report 2017” in December last year, “Senior Economist and Consultant Dr. Hafiz A. Pasha highlighted that Punjab was on track to achieving a growth rate of six per cent by the end of the year which would be the highest growth rate in eleven years”, (Business Recorder). The Punjab Report includes Dr Pasha as part of the core team. It shows “a growth rate of just over 5 per cent” for 2015-16. If we compare GDP growth per capita, based on the GDP estimates from the book and the latest population figures, Punjab’s 2.5 per cent is ahead of K-P’s 2.1 per cent.

The last Labour Force Survey relates to 2014-15 and the Household Integrated Survey to 2015-16. In the absence of these important sources of information, the last two years in the book could only be projected, not estimated. This is also why a recent study prepared at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry stopped at 2014-15. The starting year was chosen as 2010-11to capture the impact of devolution under the 18th amendment and the 7th NFC that fundamentally changed the provincial economies. The study estimated Punjab’s growth rate at 5 per cent per annum. Projecting it into 2016-17 will yield no less.

Let it be clear that the estimates of provincial GDPs are a completely private enterprise. All studies use the official national GDP estimates as the starting point, divide it into provincial shares under a certain set of assumptions for different sectors and come out with growth rates for the period covered. Different studies thus have different results.



Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1642111/6-beat-heat-combatting-climate-change/

 

[Champion_Usmani]

350 dams in KP?

By: Ghulam Idris Khan

PTI chairman Imran Khan claimed the other day in public meeting and later in press talk, that KP govt has been able to construct about 350 or more dams and is producing electricity at cheap rates than that generated by WAPDA.

In KP, the Pukhtunkhwa Energy Development Organiz-ation (PEDO) is major instrument for producing power from hydel, wind, solar and thermal sources. This organization was established in 1986, was made autonomous and named Sarhad hydel development organization in 1993. In 2013 it was named Pukhtun-khwa Hydel Development Organization (PHYDO). In 2014, through an act, it was made as Pukhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO).

The KP govt energy department and PEDO have completed and operationalized ab-out five hydel projects since 1999. These projects were planned and worked started from 1999. The operation of Malakand 111 power house with the capacity of 81 MW started commercial functioning in November 2008. The Pehur power house started commercial operation in Mar-ch 2010. In Chitral, the power houses started commercial operation in 1999 and 2009. All this electricity generation was inducted in national grid during previous govt of MMA, ANP and PPP coalition govt. About 107 MW of power produced by these small dams w-ere contributed to national grid in KPK in previous reg-ime.

PTI is claiming that it has initiated work on 350 small dams in the province, but looking at the documents and the progress made by PEDO, it becomes clear that the work is still on paper. The tall claims either made by Chairman Imran Khan or CM Pervaz Khattak are far from reality.

Feasibility studies of these ongoing projects were also conducted during the last govt of PPP and ANP. These projects are located in Swat, Dir lower, Mansehra and Shangla.

One project is by the name of KOTO Hydropower project at Dir for which study was carried out in 1992. Progress on it was at snail’s pace, however in 2008 technical study was conducted by German agency, and the feasibility study was completed by M/S Associated Consultant Engineers (ACE) in 201. This also has not been completed to date.

The PTI govt projects are still on paper. It has identified some projects and divided them in three categories namely solicited sites (Feasibility studies carried out but no physical work started yet), semi raw sites (Feasibility studies in progress) and raw sites (Feasibility studies not even started). PEDO has earmarked six locations in the hilly areas of Dir, Mansehra, Chitral, Batagram and Shangla. According to PEDO website, their feasibility studies have been completed and physical work has not been initiated yet. Last month, in November 2017, the government was been able to issue letter of award to successful bidder for one of the projects.

PTI Chairman Khan while addressing a public meeting in 2014 in Swat announced that PTI-ruled government of KPK has launched 350 small dams which will generate cheap electricity for the people of Pakistan along with availability of irrigation water for the local farmers. He also claimed on record that electricity generation will be surplus and it will be “exported” to the rest of Pakistan. The Chief Minister of KPK Mr. Pervaz Khan Khattak claimed while signing agreement for generation of power that they will produce 1200 MW of electricity. The minister of power and energy went a step ahead and doubled the figure. But what is the position on ground? None of them will now come forward to answer that.

PEDO acts as an engine and main governing body for producing power in the KP. The government appointed Shahkil Durrani as Chairman Board of Directors for smooth functioning of the organization. Durrani, a retired civil servant, previously posted as Chairman WAPDA, sent his resignation to the government of KPK due to unsatisfactory state of affairs. A news report in a leading English newspaper claimed that Durrani’s resignation letter says that PEDO is “suffering from incompetence, lack of effective system and a dysfunctional organizational structure.” The letter also said that he tried a number of times to get matters redressed at the appropriate levels but found that “both the Minister for Energy Mr. Muhammad Atif and CEO PEDO Mr. Akbar Ayyub had a near total disinterest in improving matters. They wanted to retain arbitrary control.”

Durrani further stated that even the two dams initiated in the coalition govt of ANP and PPP namely Machai and Ronolia comlpleted in July 2015 are not generating power because the transmission lines have not been completed.

According to media report, Durrani disclosed that CEO has been authorized to draw salary of PKR 1.4 million per month. Other senior officers who were inducted by the present setup were allowed monthly salary of PKR 0.6 to 0.8 million per month. CEO is now seeking to further increase up 1.8 million per month. Durrani who had served as Chairman WAPDA disclosed that Chairman WAPDA gets PKR 0.6 million as monthly salary while members draw PKR 0.3 million per month. WAPDA is hundred times larger than PEDO.

PEDO CEO at that time, Mr. Akbar Ayyub, is a friend of Asad Umer, a member of National Assembly from Islamabad. The Peshawar high court had later shown the door and declared his appointment as illegal on petition filed by one of the employee of PEDO in June 2017. However, the govt of KPK tried its best to keep Akbar Ayyub on position by making amendments in the laws of PEDO Act 1993, that is changing the requirement for the post. Opposition members of KPK assembly strongly reacted to it, due to which he left the position under the court orders.

The other six member of the Board of Directors submitted resignations. The cause of their resignation as reported in the national press was that PEDO has become hub of the corruption.

It is important to note that how the affairs of the organization, responsible to produce energy (purely an engineering organization) were run thr-ough blue eye political nominee of the high ups of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf who appointed non-technical personnel selected on whim from private sector, which created mess and none of the project has been commissioned by them.

Now in KPK and in Peshawar particular, last summer rains occurred, due to which some famous streets and localities were inundated, due to the drainage system, rain water flowed onto roads and ponds were formed. People jokingly called those streets as Hashtnageri small dam, Dabgeri and Lady Reading Hospital small dam. Locals tell each other that these are the dams of which PTI chief Imran Khan promised with the public. It is now a famous joke in Peshawar, whenever people see a small water pond of rain water, they call it a micro dam of Imran Khan and these are way more than the planned 350. People enjoy it as a joke the same way that of Billion Trees in KP.

https://thefrontierpost.com/350-dams-kp/

 

[Champion_Usmani]

No K-P university in HEC’s top 10 in last five years

• Since 2010, not even a single university has made it into the top 10 bracket.

PESHAWAR:

Despite the tall claims of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of an educational emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), not even a single varsity in the province has been able to break into the top ten educational institutes in the Higher Education Commission (HEC) list in the last five years.

There has been an upsurge in the number of varsities established in the province. However, the quality of education provided to those enrolled in these institutes has been neglected.

Under the PTI government, 22 public sector varsities are currently operating in K-P while during the Awami National Party (ANP) reign, there were only nine universities in the province.

UVAS ranked among top 10 by HEC

Since 2010, not even a single university has made it into the top 10 bracket.

In the last session of the K-P assembly held on February 21, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) parliamentarian Fazal Ghafoor asked why no varsity could break into this bracket.

The legislator lamented that on one hand the standard of higher education is on the decline and in contrast the fees being charged are on the rise.

Ghafoor asked why the University of Peshawar was ranked fourth nationwide back in 2006 with its rank dropping in the years to follow owing to the quality of education dispensed.

To this, the K-P higher education minister said the incumbent government was planning to establish an independent provincial higher education commission to oversee the public sector universities.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1644574/1-no-k-p-university-hecs-top-10-last-five-years/

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Higher education woes: Falling standards may push K-P to take courses from Punjab, Sindh

PESHAWAR: Even as the provincial government claims to have made education their topmost priority by allocating large sums of money for the sector, success at the elementary levels has not translated in the higher education sector where not even one university from the province managed to make it into the list of top ten varsities of the country.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), every successive government has expressed its commitment to higher education, working to allocate funds and land to set up more educational institutions. Often at times, longstanding colleges were granted the status of universities.

The Awami National Party (ANP) had set up nine universities during their five-year term in the province from 2008 to 2013. Before them, as many as 11 varsities were functional in different parts of the province.

The Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) too jumped on the bandwagon for new universities, setting up three new universities while announcing a further five universities. At the moment, there are as many as 23 universities operating in the province.

However, neither the ANP nor the PTI has taken take care to improve the standard of education at these educational institutes.

According to Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) annual ranking. since 2010, not a single university of the province has made it to the list of top ten universities of the country.

In the last session of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly held on February 21, Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MPA Mufti Fazal Ghafoor questioned the incumbent government’s resolve over higher education and why not even a single university had not made it into the elite list.

The legislator lamented that on the one hand the standards of higher education in the province are declining day-by-day. On the other hand fees at these public sector varsities keep increasing every year.

Ghafoor pointed out that the University of Peshawar was ranked fourth across the country in 2006 but has slipped out of the overall top 10 list. A testament to how its standards have declined over the years.

K-P Higher Education Minister Mushtaq Ghani had responded to the criticism on the floor of the assembly by stating that the government was planning to set up an independent provincial higher education commission which would look after and deal with educational standards of public sector universities in the province.

In what was a consolation, the minister presented a specialized list of higher education institutions in which the Agriculture University of Peshawar was listed at fourth and at six in the list of agricultural and veterinary universities.

HEC’s ranking qualifies universities on different indicators such as quality assurance, teaching quality, research, finance and facilities, social integration and community development. They set 100 marks for these indicators while evaluating the performance of universities.

In 2010, the top ten universities included Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Aga Khan University, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, University of Punjab, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University in Rawalpindi, University of Health Sciences Lahore, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) Islamabad and the Lahore University of Management Sciences rounded up the top ten.

Similarly, the same universities were included in the list of 2013-14-15 and 2016 while not even a single university from K-P was including in this list.

The K-P government’s tall claims of improving quality of education and allocation worth billions have not seemed to have had the desired result.

It is thus unclear how much impact would a provincial higher education commission have in improving their quality.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/164490...dards-may-push-k-p-take-courses-punjab-sindh/

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Over 300 schools in Swat without basic amenities

some excerpts from news...

They said that a recent survey conducted by Independent Monitoring Unit showed that 327 schools in Swat lacked all basic facilities. The survey shows that at least three schools in PK-80 constituency, 41 schools in PK-81 constituency, 34 schools in PK-82 constituency, 43 schools in PK-83 constituency, 91 schools in PK-84 constituency, 78 schools in PK-85 and 37 schools in PK-86 constituency lack all basic facilities.

for detailed news click the link below....

https://www.dawn.com/news/1392032/over-300-schools-in-swat-without-basic-amenities

 

[IFB]

Same in Tamil nadu even professors are appointed if they can bribe the right people...corruption is a cancer to any country.

 

[Champion_Usmani]

BRT project unlikely to meet April 20 deadline

PESHAWAR: With the April 20 deadline for the launch of the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit service drawing closer, it seems to be a race against time for the authorities to ensure the project’s completion in the next 50 days.

The PTI-led provincial government had announced that the Rs49 billion flagship project would be successfully executed in six months.

Work on it had begun on Oct 20 last year.

Sources insist frequent changes to design will delay bus service, increase cost by Rs2bn

The sources said the frequent fiddling with the project’s design even several months after its launch was not only going to delay the completion of work but it was also likely to add the over Rs2 billion cost overrun to the project.

“The project’s completion within the deadline seems almost impossible,” a source said.

Last week, project director Sajjad Khan also proceeded on medical leave.

However, the sources attribute his departure to the government’s growing frustration with the project.

Mr Sajjad had overseen the project at the design phase until it was handed over to the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) for execution.

The officials claimed that Mr Sajjad recently began talking about the course correction in meetings much to the ire of the PDA officials, who considered him to be responsible for planning blunders.

They said the project authorities opined that the PC-I’s revision to enhance the project cost would have to be undertaken at the execution stage due to the unforeseen circumstances, which led to several changes.

A senior government official told Dawn that the exact amount of the revised cost was not clear at the moment as the situation was very much fluid but it was likely to be above Rs2 billion.

The background discussions with the officials paint a picture of a project in a flux with frequent changes and infighting. Sources said that project’s funder Asian Development Bank (ADB) get so much angry with pace of design changes that it fired a nasty email to the project managers chiding them for carrying out alterations with the donor’s approval.

Several sources said the faulty designing process was haunting the project, as large numbers of changes were made to the project, while several others were likely to emerge as the work progressed.

The sources said the detailed engineering design done at the cost of Rs1.253 billion was faulty and was apparently made without keeping ground realities in view.

“The preliminary design accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the detailed design which in turn accounts for up to 85 to 90 per cent of the project,” a source said.

He said at the execution stage, only variations were encountered and minor changes were made to accommodate them.

“What is happening in the Peshawar BRT project are not variations but the wholesome changes,” another source claimed, adding that it would be a blunder when you go for elevated level from ground and construct an underpass instead of elevated section.

The sources said the project has so far faced several major changes which could not have taken place in case it would have been designed meticulously.

“What really happened at design stage was that the designers just drawn lines on google earth but rarely ventured into the field,” a source said, adding that otherwise these changes would not have to be made.

The project designers, sources said that remained unaware of the existence of a 19th century drain, which at the execution stage disrupted their plan to construct a mix traffic underpass at the site. Similarly, they also ignored the fact that a grade level route would close entry and exit points to Gulbahar and Nishtarabad neighborhoods. The contractors first went for grade level route parallel to the Arbab Sikandar flyover but this led to closure of major traffic arteries, forcing the officials to consider building elevated portion next the flyover.

They dug up several piers after this realisation.

However, it had to be abandoned all of the sudden after the ADB objections.

Work on the portion of Pir Zakori Bridge, which will lead the BRT traffic to the GT Road has also yet to start.

Similarly, the construction of another mix traffic underpass at the junction of the Khadim Hussain Road and Airport roads had to be abandoned as it left little room traffic coming towards cantonment area and going to University. It forced the planners to abandon the underpass and go elevated at this spot.

At Gora Qabristan, a nearly completed underpass to be dismantled as due to narrow curve, which could have led to collision of vehicles coming from opposite directions.

On University Road, the authorities decided to construct elevated portion from the KFC to Tambowano Morr after digging of the BRT corridor left only a single lane for mixed traffic.

A source told Dawn that the University Road was likely to have lost parking space after construction of two stations on the main road and it could spell disaster for city’s one the busiest business district.

A senior official associated with the project confirmed a lack of proper planning. “Unfortunately, the planning was not up to the mark,” he said.

Another source told Dawn that the work on two bus depots was yet to start and in their absence it was not clear how the service was going to hit the road.

The haphazard nature of planning can be judged from fact that the authorities had only made token allocation of Rs1,000 as the provincial government share of the project in budget 2017-18.

However, in order to be able to pay for taxes and custom duties on buses, they have to rush to provincial cabinet to approve over Rs. 5 billion as supplementary grant.

Ironically, an army of the project’s staff members is drawing from Rs5,000 to Rs300,000 a month as BRT allowance since Dec 2016.

The details available with Dawn show that the number of the buses has also been reduced from 299 to 220 and the contract has been awarded to a Chinese company Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Company, which offered lowest bid of Rs5.478 billion for supplying buses.

Transport secretary Kamran Rehman denied the reports of cost escalations, saying PC-I is revised in case of difference between costs and estimates and currently there was no need for it.

He also denied reports of Mr Sajjad removal and said he was very much part of the project.

When contacted, PDA director general Israrul Haq said the authority had completed around 50 per cent work on the project.

He said he was hopeful that the project would be completed on time.

“We have not changed the deadline. Any change will be made keeping the project progress in view,” he said.

Mr Israr said changes to the design were routine issues, which arose from time to time and were decided accordingly.

About the revision of the project’s PC-I, he said it was very big and complex project, its PC-I’s revision was an ongoing process.

The PDA chief denied any cost overrun at the moment.

“I have no knowledge of it (cost overrun),” he said.

Mr Israr also denied reports of difference of opinion with the ADB on the project.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018

https://www.dawn.com/news/1392589/brt-project-unlikely-to-meet-april-20-deadline

 

[Maxpane]

Really sad to see it

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Details about Imran Khan's Bani Gala house's Documents being fake are emerging frequently...Just check the documents (and highlighted text inside documents) attached in this news, they show a totally different Picture...

بنی گالہ، 2003ء میں کپتان کا گھر جمائمہ خان کے نام ، این او سی عمران خان کے نام بنا لیے جانے کا انکش

اسلام آباد (ویب ڈیسک) پاکستان تحریک انصاف (پی ٹی آئی) کے چیئرمین عمران خان 2003ءمیں بنی گالہ کی زمین کے مالک نہیں تھے، اسلام آباد کے ریونیو ریکارڈ اور جمائما خان کے حلف نامے سے یہ بات سامنے آئی اور اس طرح یہ بات ثابت ہوگئی ہے کہ سپریم کورٹ میں عمران خان کی جانب سے جمع کرایا جانے والا این او سی (نو آبجیکشن سرٹیفکیٹ) اصلی نہیں تھا، بنی گالہ میں عمران خان کا گھر تعمیر کرنے کیلئے این او سی مبینہ طور پر بہارا کہو کی یونین کونسل نے 2003ءمیں جاری کیا تھا۔

روزنامہ کے مطابق قبل ازیں ایک متعلقہ عہدیدار نے پہلے ہی سپریم کورٹ کو بتایا تھا کہ انہوں نے یہ دستاویز جاری نہیں کی، بنی گالہ کی زمین 11 جون 2005ءکو عمران خان کے نام پر منتقل ہوئی تھی۔ عمران خان کی سابق اہلیہ جمائما خان نے 21 ستمبر 2004ءکو ایک پاور آف اٹارنی کے ذریعے اس بات کی تصدیق کی تھی کہ مذکورہ زمین ان کی تھی اور وہ یہ زمین عمران خان کے نام پر منتقل کرنا چاہتی تھیں۔

ڈپٹی کمشنر اسلام آباد کیپٹن (ر) مشتاق احمد نے بتایا کہ یہ ناممکن ہے کہ یونین کونسل یا کسی ریونیو عہدیدار نے کسی ایسے شخص کے نام پر این او سی جاری کیا ہو جو زمین کا مالک ہی نہیں، ایسی دستاویزات صرف ایسے شخص کے نام پر جاری کی جاتی ہیں جو زمین کا اصل مالک ہو لیکن عمران خان کے وکیل بابر اعوان کی جانب سے سپریم کورٹ میں گزشتہ ماہ جمع کرایا جانے والا کمپیوٹرائزڈ این او سی مبینہ طور پر بہارا کہو کی یونین کونسل نے عمران خان کے نام پر جاری کیا تھا، اس دستاویز پر 2003ءکی تاریخ درج ہے

رپورٹ کے مطابق اسلام آباد کے ریونیو دستاویزات سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ جمائما خان نے 26 اپریل 2002ءکو میوٹیشن نمبر 7056 اور 16 اگست 2002ءکو میوٹیشن نمبر 7225، اور 28 اگست کو میوٹیشن نمبر 7246 اور 11 جولائی 2005ءکو میوٹیشن نمبر 7361 اور 7538 کے تحت 300 کنال اور 5 مرلہ زمین خریدی تھی لہٰذا، جون 2005ءسے پہلے بنی گالہ کی زمین جمائما خان کے نام پر رجسٹرڈ تھی اور عمران خان قانوناً گھر کی تعمیر کیلئے کسی ریونیو آفس سے این او سی حاصل نہیں کر سکتے تھے

https://dailypakistan.com.pk/03-Mar-2018/741453

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Asma Rani murder: PHC transfers case to Peshawar

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court on Monday ordered to transfer the murder case of Asma Rani from Kohat to Peshawar following a request from the victim’s family. The directives were issued by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi on Monday after he heard a petition filed by Rani’s brother Muhammad Irfan. Irfan, who had filed the petition through lawyers Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik and Muhammad Farooq Malik, had claimed that his family was facing threats and that no lawyer in the area was willing to take the case since the suspect’s family was quite influential.He had subsequently requested the court to transfer the case to Peshawar. He further told the court the prime suspect’s family is very influential besides having powerful political links. Hence, in this situation, they were unable to secure justice in Kohat. “We are feeling insecure in the district, as we are unable to hire a local lawyer,” the family told the court. Rani, a third-year medical student, had been gunned down in Kohat in January, allegedly by Mujahid Afridi.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1651974/1-asma-rani-murder-phc-transfers-case-peshawar/

The real question is why Depoliticised Police of KPK is not protecting the victims? who is stopping the police?, why victims had to ask court for help?

Yeah Yeah, i know, now start comparing your ills with others...welcome... no issues.... but then don't call yourself a change...

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Protest continues against lack of facilities in Kohat hospital

KOHAT: Protests by civil society for provision of category-A facilities to the KDA Teaching Hospital entered the seventh day here on Monday.

The civil society has been staging protests inside the hospital under the aegis of Karwan-i-Amal, a welfare body, and demanding making functional the burns and trauma centres, filling of 70 vacant posts of doctors and construction of blocks in order to save the people from going to hospitals in Peshawar for seeking treatment.

The rights body chairman Saleem Altaf Advocate says that doctors in the KDA hospital referred the patients to Peshawar, even in cases of bone fracture or a single bullet injury.

He said that trauma and burns centres inaugurated by the then MNA of Awami National Party Khursheed Begum six years ago had been without machinery and neuron surgeon, due to which serious patients were referred to Taxila from southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

LAX SECURITY PERTURBS POLICE: The police on Monday issued warning notices to oil and gas facilities and other sensitive installations for insufficient security arrangements and asked them to improve the security as soon as possible under the security act.

In this regard, police teams visited the oil and gas wells in Shakardarra, banks, government and private educational institutions and other sensitive places and found them with incomplete security arrangements. They said these installations could fall easy prey to terrorists due to lack of security.

TEACHER’S KILLER ARRESTED: A police investigation has claimed that murder of a school principal on Friday was an honour killing and that they had arrested the accused, according to a press release issued the other day.

As per the investigation, the sister of the accused, Mohammad Arif of Behzadi Chakar Kot, had fled with the son of the victim, Qabil Hussain. The accused told the police that the deceased was a hurdle in the way of the return of his sister.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1393487/protest-continues-against-lack-of-facilities-in-kohat-hospital

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Peshawar 2nd most polluted City in the world Rawalpindi 4th, Karachi 14th

https://twitter.com/x/status/890439624740483072

for details check below news link....

Eat salmon to ward off air pollution

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

A news Report by Daily Mashriq Peshawar

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a difficult province to govern - Deutsche Welle report

Good governance, speedy justice and an end to terrorism: Pakistani politician Imran Khan had promised to turn Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into a "model province" after the 2013 elections. Five years on, what has he delivered?

In a 2016 address to his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supporters in Mingora, a small town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said he would turn KPK into a "model province" by 2018. He made similar claims in the run-up to the 2013 general elections, in which his party failed to secure a majority countrywide but managed to form a government in the northwestern KPK province that borders Afghanistan. Khan, who as a cricketer had spent many years living in the UK, promised to introduce Western-style governance and a social welfare system to the province.

One can ignore those lofty claims as election sloganeering. But Khan has incessantly lampooned the Pakistan Muslim League's federal and Punjab governments as "corrupt" and "incompetent" in the past five years. As the 2018 general election approaches (the dates haven't been announced yet), Khan has once again pledged to "rebuild" Pakistan, make it an economic power, end corruption and introduce good governance to the country if he becomes prime minister. It is therefore pertinent to analyze the five-year performance of the KPK government to gauge whether Khan could deliver on a national level.

"We mainly focused on health and education in the province. We also introduced police reforms and made great strides there. The previous government of the Awami National Party was corrupt and the people voted it out. On the other hand, more people are joining our party due to the incumbent government's fine performance," Shaukat Yousufzai, advisor to the KPK chief minister, told DW.

But Shamim Shahid, a Peshawar-based journalist, says the performance of the KPK government has been "disappointing."

"PTI officials claim the standard of education in the province has improved but educationists think otherwise," Shahid told DW. "The situation of public health and other government-run departments is not any different. The province has been hit by public sector strikes. People have even held demonstrations outside Khan's Islamabad residence," he added.

Focus on ending corruption

The PTI's main focus has been on weeding out corruption in Pakistan. Its manifesto resonates well with a large section of the Pakistani middle class due to its emphasis on governance issues — particularly corruption and political accountability.

"Khan's stance on corruption, terrorism and nepotism in Pakistani politics has struck a chord with the masses, which are fed up with the traditional ruling elite. He has no corruption charges on him, no foreign assets," claims PTI activist in Islamabad, Khawar Sohail.

Khan promised speedy justice and an end to corruption in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after taking over its reins in 2013. But Arshad Mahmood, an Islamabad-based writer and social activist, believes "things are pretty much the same as they were in the past."

"Khan's party workers consider themselves to be above the law and won't cooperate with the administration. If the PTI officials don't obey the law, how will governance be improved?" Mahmood asked. But Khan's supporters, which comprise mainly Pakistani youth, feel his KPK administration is being unfairly criticized.

"The government has made great strides in a faster and more effective judicial system. The education budget of the province is much bigger than in other provinces. Yes, there are problems, but things are improving," Zakria Zubair, a young entrepreneur in Islamabad, told DW. The 31-year-old PTI supporter also says that Imran Khan is playing the role of a competent opposition leader in the country's lower house of parliament.

A troubled province

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's proximity to Afghanistan and the militant sanctuaries in the adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan make it an extremely difficult province to govern. Although good governance has the potential to improve the security situation, the issue of Islamic extremism in the area is complex and goes far beyond the ambit of the KPK provincial government.

"Combating terrorism is primarily a federal subject in Pakistan. However, provincial governments play a key role in improving the overall security situation. In this regard, the KPK government's performance can be dubbed 'satisfactory.' Police reforms have brought some improvements," Aatif Afzal, an Islamabad-based political analyst and human rights activist, told DW.

"But the PTI did nothing to counter the extremism narrative. Actually, it strengthened it by introducing conservative changes to the educational curriculum on the demands of its conservative allies in the province, mainly the Jamaat-i-Islami party," Afzal underlined.

Pakistan's liberals accuse Khan of having a "soft spot" for the Taliban and other anti-US militant groups in the region. The KPK government also favors negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Khan insists there is no military solution to the Islamist conflict in the region. "The US also wants to negotiate with the Taliban, as Washington could not get fruitful results in Afghanistan through military means. The US has spent trillions of dollars without success in this war," Khan told DW in an interview in August last year.

"Pakistan has suffered a lot; we have lost 70,000 people in this war, in which we had nothing to do. In my opinion, we should stay out of the war," Khan added.

Challenges ahead

A worrying sign for Khan in KPK province is the rise of a pro-peace Pashtun movement that holds the military establishment's policies responsible for the killings and displacements in both their province and in Afghanistan. Supporters of the movement, mainly secular and nationalistic Pashtuns that live on both sides of the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border, see Khan and his PTI party as collaborators with the military.

The Pashtun peace movement is also backed by the Awami National Party, which lost to the PTI in the 2013 election and is now eyeing a return to power. Analysts say that terrorism and Pakistan's ties with Afghanistan would once again play a pivotal role in the upcoming elections.

"I lived in Peshawar from June 2015 to October 2016, and traveled extensively around the province. I think it will be hard for the PTI to repeat their 2013 electoral performance," Afzal said.

At the same time, journalist Shamim Shahid says the PTI is facing internal rifts. "Many provincial lawmakers have revolted against the KPK chief minister and Imran Khan. Jamaat-i-Islami, a major coalition partner in the province, was reluctant to support PTI in Saturday's senate vote. At least six PTI lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province did not vote for the party candidates for senate," Shahid said.

If recent by-elections and an apparent revolt in his party are any indications, Imran Khan is heading toward another difficult period in his political career. Political analysts say the main problem with Khan and his party is that they have not been able to back up their performance by displaying that "model province" to the rest of Pakistan that Khan had promised to build some years ago. On the other hand, Khan's main political rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been steadfast in his development-based politics, they say.

http://www.dw.com/en/pakistans-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-a-difficult-province-to-govern/a-42913082

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Legislations prove no barrier: Over 55 women killed violently in K-P

PESHAWAR:

It was ominous when on just the second day of the year a woman walked into a police station and set herself on fire. Officers took their time in responding to the searing sight as the woman suffered which were ultimately fatal burns.

Since that incident two months ago, which took place in the provincial capital, more than 54 cases of violence against women have been perpetrated in the province, including some which have drawn the attention of the top court. Justice in most of those cases, however, remains elusive.

A database of incidents of violence against women collected by a local non-governmental organization (NGO) using newspaper reports as the basis for their data recorded, at least 18 major incidents of violence against women, including honour killings, across the province were committed in January. This doubled to 37 in February.

The data, though, only shows a partial picture since a number of cases are never reported in the media, while a fraction is not even reported to police.

The first incident of violence in 2018 occurred when a woman, identified as Salma, walked into the Kotwali police station in Peshawar and set herself on fire. She was apparently protesting against the release of a house owner she had a dispute with. The woman suffered extensive burns and succumbed to her injuries in Islamabad days later.

This incident was followed by the brutal murder of a couple in Toru Mayar area of Mardan. The two had eloped and had allegedly been killed in the name of honour.

Another woman was gunned down by family members in Mansehra who had contracted love marriage 15 years ago.

On January 8, a boy killed his stepmother in the Saddar area of Mardan. A day later, another couple was killed in Dir, apparently in the name of honour.

The same day, a man killed his wife in the Doranpur area of Mardan.

Days later, well-known stage actor Brekhna was killed along with her father by her suitor in the Kakshal area of the city. The man later committed suicide.

On January 18, brothers strangled their sister in DI Khan in another honour killing case.

On January 28, a newlywed bride was killed in Kohat.

A day later, a medical student Asma Rani was killed in Kohat by two brothers after she rebuffed advances. The case drew the attention of the apex court. Recently her family’s request to move the case from Kohat to Peshawar was also granted.

The next day a man threw acid on his wife and stepdaughter in Batkhela area of Malakand.

In Parang, Charsadda, a girl was filmed naked by two boys.

A boy killed his stepmother and then dumped her body in a deserted area within the remits of Mathra police station.

It was followed by the killing of two sisters in the Pishtakhara area on the outskirt of Peshawar. These two were also apparently killed in the name of honour since they were seen as making a living by dancing, something which was unacceptable to their brothers.

On February 2, a local singer Sumbal was gunned down allegedly by Jehangir Khan – the same man who had previously killed Ghazala Javed in Peshawar.

On February 7, a married woman committed suicide in the Budhani area of Peshawar due to unknown reasons. The same day, an 18-year-old girl committed suicide in Mardan.

Separately on the same day, Momina was apparently killed for honour by her in-laws after she was allegedly spotted with her lover in Nisata, Charsadda.

On February 9, a man killed his sister-in-law in Kolai area of Kohistan when he spotted her with a man. When his mother tried to save the woman, she was also killed. The accused lover was also killed.

On February 11, in Topi area of Swabi, a man allegedly killed his wife, cut up the body into pieces and then buried them inside his house. The next day in Bannu, a man killed his wife in Kachi Camp.

On February 13, another woman was killed by her husband in Bannu due to unidentified reasons.

Though there was a ban on celebrating Valentine’s Day publicly, there was no ban on violence against women on the day after a man killed his wife, a mother of three, in Akora Khattak area of Nowshera. He then left the body in the house and fled with his three children.

On February 15, a woman committed suicide after a verbal dispute with her husband in Urmar Payan area on the outskirts of Peshawar. A woman also committed suicide in Jehangirabad area of Peshawar the same day.

On February 16 a man and his sister-in-law were killed by unidentified assailants in Bannu.

On February 17, a woman was allegedly raped inside her vehicle by a policeman in Haripur.

The next day, a teenaged girl who was assisting her elder sister during the polio vaccination campaign was abducted by unidentified people in Sheikhan. She was found unconscious from a nearby graveyard a few hours later with officials claiming that she was not raped.

On February 20, another local singer, dancer and actor Noor Sher was killed by her husband Malik Sheraz in Abbottabad. They had divorced just five days after their marriage.

The same day, a man and his father attacked his wife in Chamkani area of Peshawar because the woman had filed for divorce. She, however, survived with injuries.

On February 22, a man killed his daughter in Ogai area of Torghar along with her suitor Muhammad Saeed, ostensibly for honour.

Similarly, a girl was slaughtered by her brother and cousin in Abbottabad inside their residence when she was found to be pregnant on February 24.

On February 26, a young girl was killed by a man and his father when the family refused to accept their marriage proposal in the Pishtakhara area of Peshawar.

On February 27, a girl was killed by her brother in the Katlang area of Mardan after she refused to make tea for him.

Rights activist Tamure Kamal told The Express Tribune said that it was unfortunate that violence against women continues unabated despite the fact that there is proper legislation in this regard.

Another rights activist, Imran Takkar said that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police, like those in the rest of the country, are not gender sensitive. Moreover, continued violence against women only shows that government policies have failed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1654020/1-legislations-prove-no-barrier-55-women-killed-violently-k-p/