Protests against dictators

Dawn Editorial, 13 June 2010,

PRIME Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani recently made a curious statement. He said the people of Pakistan had tolerated several dictators and wondered why they would not bear with a government that they themselves had elected. Referring to the ongoing talk of corruption in government, he said it was open to the people to reject a government with whose performance they were dissatisfied at the next election.

It would be simplistic to say that dictatorship had been well-received in Pakistan. In some instances, the people may initially have been tolerant of such a regime while they waited to see if it eradicated all evils and delivered the goods it had promised to do. But they became restive soon enough, as the promises were not met, and came out on the streets demanding an end to the regime.

Their initial tolerance is to be seen in light of the fact that the generals who seized power had come gun-in-hand, with the support of the armed forces. The coupmaker imposed martial rule on taking power, which meant that his agents could deal with elements suspected of being unfriendly to him as they deemed fit. They could take them away or even put them through trials in military courts outside the due process of law.

The politicians who governed this country after Liaquat Ali Khan were reasonably decent. There were no charges of corruption against any of the prime ministers during this period. Members of the assemblies were fickle, shifting their loyalties from one party to another for reasons of expediency. There was a good deal of political intrigue, much of which was engineered by the then head of state Governor-General Ghulam Mohammad and, more notably, Iskander Mirza. This made for governmental instability. The general public regarded the politicians and their craft as unprincipled and dirty.

It was in this climate of opinion that Gen Ayub Khan seized power in 1958. Considering his promise to ‘clean up the mess’, eliminate corruption, and abolish hoarding and black marketing and set all other things right, the people reacted to him with a wait-and-see attitude. Needless to say, the professional politicians whom he had dislodged did not approve of his coup and his subsequent moves.

The bureaucracy, feudal lords and barons of commerce and industry (whose interests he did not threaten) accepted him and his dispensation.

Even though his ‘reforms’ got the country nowhere, he remained reasonably secure in his position until his return from Tashkent in January 1966. The great majority of the people were persuaded that he had given away at the conference table the victory in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. A sizzling popular movement against his rule finally brought him down in March 1969.

Gen Ziaul Haq overthrew Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, put him through a crooked trial, and hanged him. PPP leaders and workers, by the thousands, were harassed, tortured and taken away, some never to be seen again. Anti-PPP elements in the country, especially the Islamist parties and Nawaz Sharif’s PML, favoured Zia but most of the other politically aware people did not approve of him. His rule is now considered to have been the worst in this country’s history.

The PML-N, PPP and the proponents of democracy were generally alienated from Gen Pervez Musharraf. The PML-Q befriended him and the bureaucracy worked well with him, as it had with the military dictators who had preceded him. The ordinary people were mostly unconcerned with the issue of Gen Musharraf’s legitimacy until he forced the chief justice of Pakistan out of his office in March 2007 and later imposed emergency that had severe repercussions for the judiciary amongst other things. These actions led to a protest against the general and a growing feeling of antagonism forced him to quit in August 2008. Thus, Mr Gilani was not right when he said that the people had tolerated periods of dictatorship.

Violence in Sindh

Dawn Editorial, 13 June 2010,

We expected better from a popularly elected government that had promised to ease the misery of the people. Its predecessor was the product of a military dictator’s ‘tailored’ democracy in which government officials were answerable only to one man.

The current administration, in sharp contrast, can and will be held accountable by the Pakistani public. Those who have been at the helm now for well over two years are guilty of inaction on several fronts and blunders on others. Their failures are many but the focus here will be on the increasing lawlessness in Karachi and other parts of Sindh. Constant fear is not the stuff of democracy and it is time our rulers went beyond words and took genuine steps to help the people of Sindh who are being terrorised by a rising crime wave and diverse forms of violence.

Karachi, for instance, has been in the grip of targeted killings for several months and the situation is particularly tense as we speak. Sectarian hatred is on the boil and has claimed several lives in the last few days. Doctors with no clear political affiliations have been gunned down, possibly on sectarian grounds. Ethnic and political violence is also rife while the Lyari gang war seems unstoppable. At the same time the people must cope with kidnappings for ransom, dacoities at their homes and hold-ups in the streets. The interior of the province is no stranger to violent crime either. Take the extreme case of district Dadu’s Borari village, which is a virtual no-go area. Armed robbers call the shots there, man entry points and kill people who don’t pay up. It is said that hundreds of girls have decided to stop going to school for fear of these thugs.

Where is the Sindh government in all this? It cannot pass the buck to the police because the administration is, after all, responsible for the performance of its law-enforcers. Why can’t known criminal gangs that operate freely be hauled in and booked once and for all? Many believe that the answer lies in the patronage extended to criminal elements by some politicians or other local influentials, including members of the police. Simply increasing the budget of the police force, as has been done this year, will not do the trick. Throwing money at the problem won’t deliver if the system is faulty. Our officials must change their ways and tackle root causes. Perhaps the biggest danger here is that prolonged public disillusionment may not necessarily usher in a new chapter in democracy. People deserve change and they want it now.

Rs294 billion budget for KP; no new taxes

Dawn, 13 June 2010,

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government unveiled on Saturday a balanced budget of Rs 294.246 billion for 2010-11, with the highest-ever Rs 69.3 billion Annual Development Programme.

Budgetary proposals presented by Finance Minister Humayun Khan in the provincial assembly envisaged a 50 per cent hike in salary of government employees, jobs for youth, facilities for growers and an increased allocation for police.

The minister said that no new tax had been introduced, but changes were made in sales tax (services) schedules in line with the 18th Amendment to authorise provincial tax collecting agencies to recover capital value tax (CVT) on transfer of property.

The provincial Finance Bill, however, envisaged a one per cent hike in general sales tax on services, taking it to 17 per cent from 16 per cent and bringing a number of services to the tax net.

These include hotels, clubs, caterers, TV advertisements, customs agents, ship handlers, stevedores, courier services, beauty parlours, beauty clinics, slimming clinics, laundries and dry cleaners, closed circuit TV or cable TV, shipping agents and telecommunication services. Banking and non-banking financial institutions and insurance companies have been proposed to be brought into the tax net.

Taxes on these services were being collected by the federal government, but under the 18th Amendment these have been transferred to the provinces which will collect them after the enforcement of value-added tax (VAT) in October.

Pensions for government workers have been raised. Salary of provincial ministers has been reduced by 20 per cent, compared to a 10 per cent cut in the federal budget.

The minister announced revival of the defunct Provincial Cooperative Bank, creation of an endowment fund to finance the Bacha Khan Khpal Rozgar Scheme, a self-employment scheme, Benazir Youth Technical Education Scheme and setting up of call centres. He said that over 9,000 more jobs would be created in different departments.

Mr Humayun said the budget of Rs 294.246 billion was 40 per cent higher than the outgoing year’s budget. The government, he said, expected to generate Rs198.590 billion from general revenue receipts — an increase of 48 per cent of the revised estimates for the outgoing financial year — because of the new National Finance Commission award.

A change in horizontal and vertical distribution of the federal divisible pool (FDP) under the 7th NFC award has substantially increased transfer of fiscal proceeds from the centre to the province. The province would receive Rs123.436 billion from the FDP, compared to Rs67.644 billion last year.

Similarly, revenue receipts of Rs9.368 billion and Rs12.325 billion on account of straight transfers and GST on services, respectively, have been projected during the next financial year.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will also receive Rs15.229 billion as one per cent of the undivided FDP as grant the provinces had agree to pay it to off set the impact of war on terror on its economy and infrastructure.

Apart from Rs6 billion capped-receipts of net hydel profit, the provincial government is expected to receive the second instalment of Rs25 billion from the federal government on account of arrears which, according to analysts, may jeopardise the financial management if not materialise accordingly.

As the province’s share in federal proceeds has increased because of the NFC award, but its own contribution to the budget continues to decline. According to estimates, the province will generate Rs7.231 billion from its own resources, which is two per cent less than the revised estimates.

General administration is squeezing much of the fiscal space the province had been able to create in the wake of the NFC as almost 55 per cent of the total current revenue budget will be consumed in the next financial year.

Of the total Rs127.958 billion set aside for current expenditures, salary of employees will consume Rs76 billion, which is 58 per cent higher than the liabilities the government incurred during the outgoing financial year.

In line with the federal government decision, Mr Humayun announced a hike of 50 per cent in salary of 0.375 million employees, 15 to 20 per cent for pensioners and 100 per cent increase in medical allowance for employees of grade 1 to 16. He also announced a 15 per cent pay raise for officers in grade 17 and above. It will cost the provincial government an additional Rs22 billion and put the overall wage bill at the highest-ever Rs76 billion.

Mr Humayun said the salary raise would not be applicable to police because their salary had already been increased.

An amount of Rs9.660 billion has been allocated for debt servicing and Rs2.5 billion for wheat subsidy.

The minister said the education sector would receive major chunk of Rs33.1 billion. About 604 new posts would be created in the sector.

An amount of Rs5.9 billion has been allocated for the health sector, which is 48 per cent higher than the revised estimates for the outgoing financial year.

Police, which have been one of the major recipients over the past couple of years, will get Rs21 billion — almost 117 per cent higher than the revised estimates. About 5,792 new posts would be filled in the police department, the minister said.

The next year’s ADP carried a total outlay of Rs69.3 billion of which Rs60 billion will be arranged from local resources and Rs9.2 billion will come from international donors and lending agencies. A total of 972 projects have been incorporated in the next year’s ADP, including 636 ongoing and 336 new projects.

PM rules out army operation in S. Punjab, for now

Dawn, 13 June 2010,

LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ruled out on Saturday the possibility of an immediate military operation in south Punjab.

“I do not think there is a need to launch an operation at the moment,” Mr Gilani said while talking to journalists at the King Edward Medical University.

“We have the will and ability to fight terrorists,” he said, adding that the government took action wherever its writ was challenged.

Days after attacks on Ahmadis’ two places of worship killed 95 people in Lahore, Interior Minister Rehman Malik hinted at carrying out a military operation in southern Punjab, saying attackers belonged to militant groups like Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Jaish-i-Mohammad and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and were based in that part of the province.

In reply to a question, Mr Gilani said the impression that there was a confrontation between the government and the judiciary should end now. “Even the chief justice has said that there has been no threat to the system, therefore there is nothing to worry about,” he said.

The prime minister said all issues would come under discussion during the forthcoming meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India.

“All issues, including terrorism, water and Kashmir, will be discussed with India,” he said and added that Pakistan wanted good relations with its neighbours, including India.

“I told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Thimphu (Bhutan) that wars are no solution to any problem. We need to talk to resolve issues,” Mr Gilani said.

Answering a question that Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif had criticised the federal government over the budget, the prime minister said he respected Mr Sharif’s opinion. However, he described the budget as the “best under the existing circumstances”.

Mr Gilani said he did not ask Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif not to arrest Pakistan People’s Party MNA Jamshed Dasti on a charge of leading attack on doctors and paramedical staff in Muzaffargarh. “I have got nothing to do with this issue,” he said.

Govt offices set alight in Balochistan

Dawn, 13 June 2010,

QUETTA: Several government offices were attacked and some of them set on fire in Khuzdar and Turbat on Saturday during a strike against the killing of two activists of BSO-Azad.

A man was gunned down in Khuzdar.

According to police sources, armed men on motorcycles opened fire on Abdul Rehman, killing him on the spot. The sources said Rahman, a labourer, was deaf and dumb.

Another man was killed by armed men in Awaran town during the strike.

The strike call was given by the Baloch Students Organisation-Azad, claiming that two of its members were killed by security forces the other day in Koshak area of Khuzdar when they were sitting in a shop.

Police said that unknown armed men on motorcycles opened fire at the shop, killing of two persons.

The BSO-A has also given strike call in the province for Sunday.

Markets remained closed in Khuzdar.

BSO activists blocked the Quetta-Karachi national highway by putting up barricades.

A large number of activists took to the roads and started pelting passing vehicles with stones.They attacked many government buildings and ransacked a Nadra office, setting it on fire.

Another group of angry youths attacked the offices of irrigation department and EDO (health) and torched them.

“Official record, furniture and buildings were completely burnt and destroyed,” sources said.The sources said that demonstrators attacked some government vehicles and damaged them.

Angry demonstrators also set on fire two PTCL phone cabinets in Turbat.

A spokesman for BSO-A said that the strike was observed in Turbat, Panjgur, Awaran, Kharan, Nushki, Nal, Zehri, Kalat and Mastung.

Water supply to Sindh, Punjab cut

Dawn, 13 June 2010,

ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has curtailed water supply to Sindh and Punjab by 10,000 and 15,000 cusecs respectively as the inflow into the Indus has fallen because of low temperature in western Himalayas.

The water supply to Sindh has been reduced from 110,000 to 100,000 cusecs for 10 days and that to Punjab from 35,000 to 20,000 cusecs. No such advisory has been issued for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the province has a small share in the overall distribution network.

The Indus zone comprises water inflow in Punjab from the Indus and Kabul river.

According to Irsa figures, the inflow of the Indus at Tarbela fell to about 94,900 cusecs in the second week of this month from 126,000 cusecs during the same period last year.

Because of a high demand for irrigation of paddy and cotton crops in the Kharif season, the average outflow from Tarbela currently stood at 115,000 cusecs. As a result, the storage capacity of the dam is nearing its dead level.

While the present water level at Tarbela is 1,389 million acre feet (MAF), its dead level is 1,378 MAF, leaving merely 0.152 MAF for live storage capacity at the dam.—A Reporter

US plans audit office in Islamabad to monitor aid

Dawn, 13 June 2010,

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration would set up a separate auditing office in Islamabad to monitor financial assistance provided to Pakistan, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

The office will monitor all assistance programmes under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill, the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) and the Pakistan Counter-Insurgency Capability Fund (PCCF). The office will report to the Office of Inspector General in Washington and would employ two auditors, programme analysts and the local staff recruited in Islamabad. The Obama administration has set up a similar office for Afghanistan as well.

“It is part of their internal process,” said a Pakistani diplomat when asked for comments. “Their programme for Pakistan is America’s largest civilian aid package, so it is only natural that they would like to monitor it.”

US officials, when contacted by this correspondent, also said they had similar accountability processes for other recipients as well. “Pakistan is not being singled out,” one of them added.

However, last month, Senator John Kerry, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, sent a letter to the US State Department, saying that he feared the massive civilian aid flowing into Pakistan would be squandered or stolen. He argued that the high level of corruption in that country would make effective aid distribution a challenge.

Partly reported by Boston Globe and Dawn last month, Senator Kerry’s seven-page letter to Richard Holbrooke, the Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, is now widely available on the internet.

“Among the Pakistani population there is already a fear that the funds will merely enrich the corrupt elite. Channelling so much of the money through untested institutions so quickly could serve to confirm these suspicions,” he wrote.

Senator Kerry highlighted the need for long-term development progress, more transparency and policy reforms in key sectors like energy.

“This administration should be as transparent and specific as possible as how US funds will be spent in Pakistan. To date, this process is largely opaque to the broader public, including our Pakistani friends and partners.”

The lack of transparency could generate suspicion and distrust, defeating the core intent of the act to help build stronger ties with the Pakistani people, Senator Kerry said.

Govt neglect sees law against terror lapse

Dawn, 13 June 2010,

ISLAMABAD: Due to sheer negligence of the government, the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 has lapsed after completing its constitutional life earlier this month, putting Islamabad in a bind vis-à-vis its anti-terror fight, Dawn has learnt.

It means all amendments made in the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 authorising the government to catch and try suspects involved in aiding and abetting terrorists have gone, putting a question mark on the legality of a large number of cases pending before anti-terrorism courts.

The government failed to get the ordinance — re-promulgated by President Asif Ali Zardari in February — passed from the parliament within the stipulated period of 120 days. And now after the passage of the 18th Amendment, the president has no powers to re-promulgate it without the approval of the National Assembly through a resolution.

Legal experts believe that the lapse of the ordinance has deprived the government of important powers under which it has been interrogating the arrested terrorism suspects and taking action against members of banned organisations.

In November last year, President Zardari had extended the Anti-Terrorism Ordinance even to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where security forces are hunting for militants.

It was under the lapsed ordinance that the government had acquired powers to keep persons arrested on terrorism charges in detention for 90 days without producing them before any court of law.

Similarly, under clause 14(a) of the ordinance, courts had been deprived of powers to grant bail to a person accused of an offence under the terrorism act “punishable with death or imprisonment for life or imprisonment exceeding ten years”.

Through this ordinance, the government had obtained the powers to seize any FM radio station for broadcasting programmes “glorifying terrorists or terrorist activities”.

There had been a bar on banks and financial institutions on providing “any loan facility or financial support” or issuing credit cards to members of proscribed outfits.

The ordinance barred members of all banned organisation from obtaining passports and travelling abroad.

Another important aspect of the ordinance was cancellation of arms licences that had already been issued to members of a banned organisation.

The ordinance was originally promulgated by former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Nov 2002 seeking certain amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 for granting powers to law enforcement agencies to take action against terrorists and activists of outlawed outfits.

The former president had also extended the reach of the anti-terrorism act to those individuals seen as “intimidating or terrorising the public, social sectors, business community and preparing or attacking the civilians, government officials, installations, security forces or law enforcement agencies”.

The scope of the law had also been extended to persons involved in “award of any punishment by an organisation, individual or group whatsoever, not recognised by the law” and those involved in “dissemination, preaching ideas, teachings and beliefs as per own interpretation on FM stations without explicit approval of the government or its concerned departments”.

Through an amendment to Clause 12 of the act, besides provinces, the jurisdiction of the anti-terrorism courts had been extended to “Islamabad Capital Territory.

BLAME GAME:

Officials of the ministries of interior and law have started blaming each other for a negligence that has brought embarrassment to the government.

A source in the ministry of law and parliamentary affairs claimed that it was the responsibility of the interior ministry to present the ordinance in the form of a bill, first before the cabinet and then the parliament.

He disclosed that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had taken note of this serious lapse and already discussed the issue with Law Minister Babar Awan.

On the other hand, another government official said it was the job of the ministry of law to keep track of, and to inform the government in time, before the lapse of an ordinance.

Senator Raza Rabbani said the ministries concerned should have been vigilant in either getting the ordinance passed as a bill or under the 18th Amendment they should have moved a resolution in either house of the Parliament to get its life extended for another 120 days.

In reply to a question, Mr Rabbani said that with the lapse of this ordinance, “the internal efforts against terrorism will be handicapped”.

Former president Gen (retd) Musharraf and his successor President Asif Zardari kept on re-promulgating the ordinance every time it lapsed after 120 days.

The last time President Zardari had re-promulgated it was on Feb 1 this year.

No operation in S Punjab for now: Gilani

The News, 13 June 2010,

LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the government will take action wherever its writ is challenged; however, there seems no need for any operation in southern Punjab for now, he added.

Talking to the media after addressing the second convocation of King Edward Medical University (KEMU) here on Saturday, the PM said the government was committed to rooting out terrorism from the country.

Replying to a question about the reported confrontation between the Pakistan People’s Party and the judiciary, Gilani quoted the chief justice of Pakistan as saying that there existed no threat to the system. Welcoming the CJ’s statement, Gilani said “we respect these remarks.”

Gilani also dispelled an impression that he had opposed the arrest of Jamshed Dasti, the PPP MNA from Muzaffargarh. He said some other member, on a point of order, had said that they would not let it happen.

About the ongoing war of words between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership in the Punjab, the prime minister said he wouldn’t comment on it. However, according to an Online report, Gilani said he respected Nawaz Sharif’s views.

Gilani said he had directed the inter-provincial coordination minister to settle the water dispute between the Punjab and the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) in an amicable manner.

He said Pakistan wanted cordial relations with all its neighbours including India and Afghanistan and wanted to resolve all issues with them through dialogue. At the recent Saarc Summit in Bhutan, he added, his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh agreed on resolving all the issues between the two countries, including Kashmir, Sir Creek, water and Siachin, through dialogue.

The PM said after the abolition of the concurrent list, thanks to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, health has exclusively been assigned to the provinces. The 7th National Finance Commission Award has also made abundant economic resources available to the provinces, he added.

“I would urge the provinces to focus on the capacity building for effective delivery of health services at the grassroots level,” advised the PM.

He said the federal government would handle the functions of coordination, resource mobilisation, information and evidence, disease security, ensuring compliance with international health regulations and streamlining aid effectiveness agenda.

The prime minister disclosed that that the National Health Policy 2010 was in the final stage of formulation.

Earlier, addressing the convocation, the PM said King Edward Medical University (KEMU) had been a beacon of hope for the ailing humanity for the last 150 years. He said it had carried on the traditions of academic excellence and research in the field of medicine.

The PM awarded medals to the students with distinctions and announced foreign scholarships for the graduates.

Rs 294.2 bn tax-free KP budget unveiled

The News, 13 June 2010,
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday unveiled tax-free budget of Rs 294.2 billion for the fiscal 2010-11 with a development outlay of Rs 69.3 billion, showing an increase of 40 per cent over last year’s allocations and setting aside Rs 21 billion for restoring peace and security in the militancy-hit province.

The government servants were given 50 per cent pay raise in their basic salaries while salaries of the provincial ministers were reduced by 20 per cent as part of the austerity measures being adopted by the provincial government to show solidarity with the federal cabinet members whose salaries were cut by 10 per cent in the federal budget.

Minister for Finance Muhammad Humayun Khan presented the budget in the assembly where the lawmakers, including those from the opposition, listened to him in silence. He said the budget was framed in light of the budget strategy papers.

Giving the break up of the revenue receipts to be received during the next fiscal year, the finance minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would receive Rs 123.4 billion under the federal tax assignment, Rs 6 billion from net profits on hydropower generation, Rs 9.4 billion as royalty on oil and gas, Rs 15.2 billion special grants for war on terror, Rs 7.2 billion as provinces own receipts and Rs 12.3 billion on GST on services. The minister said the province would also get Rs 25 billion as second installment of the arrears of net hydel power profits in July while it is expected to receive Rs 400 million as general capital receipts.

For the first time, the province will receive an income of Rs 842 million from the Malakand -III hydropower project, Rs 9.3 billion is expected in foreign assistance while the budget revenue receipts also have a provision of Rs 85 billion for food trading.

About the revenue expenditures for 2010-11, the minister said the budget carried the expenditures of Rs 294.2 billion as equal to the revenue receipts. “Therefore, it is a balanced budget,” he contended.

He said the budget had current revenue expenditure of Rs 127.9 billion, Rs 9.4 billion for health and education, Rs 21 billion for police, Rs 11 billion for payment of pensions, Rs 51.9 billion for salaries to the district governments and other charges, Rs 16.6 billion for salaries of other departments, Rs 150 billion for revenue relief to the Revenue and Estate, Rs 2.5 billion for subsidy on wheat, Rs 9.6 billion for debt servicing, Rs 5.9 billion for the payment of public account arrears and investment, Rs 11 billion for current capital expenditures and Rs 60 billion for the development programme.

Besides, he said Rs 9.3 billion was foreign assistance for development projects and Rs 85.9 billion would be spent on food trading in the next fiscal year.

Referring to the expenditures on service delivery, he said Rs 33.1 billion had been set aside to build 27,419 new schools creating 604 jobs while Rs 2.9 billion would be spent on 147 colleges and libraries creating 162 vacancies.

Besides language laboratories, an endowment fund would be set up to send 50 deserving students abroad for PhD.

The minister said Rs 5.9 billion would be spent on health wherein 250 trainee medical officers would be employed and 50 of the first batch of lady doctors of the Girls Medical College would also be given the opportunity of house job. He said a total of 1,333 jobs would be created in the health sector.

To improve the law and order situation in the province, Humayun Khan said huge expenditures were inevitable and the government had allocated Rs 21 billion for the purpose which showed an increase of 117 per cent. The allocations, he said, included the grants by the federal government for the fight against terrorism.

The minister added that 5,792 vacancies would be created in the police in the next fiscal, Rs 14.5 billion would be spent on regional development while a trust fund would be set up for rehabilitation of the people of the militancy-hit areas.

In line with the federal government’s decision to raise salaries of officials by 50 per cent, the minister said the provincial government had also raised the salaries of its employees by 50 per cent while pension of the retired government servants was enhanced by 15 to 20 per cent.

Similarly, the minister said medical allowance of Grade-1 to 16 officials has been increased by 100 per cent while that of Grade 17 and above was raised by 15 per cent. The increase would not apply to police personnel, who have already been given the raise in the salaries. However, the salaries of the provincial ministers would be cut by 20 per cent, he added.

Humayun Khan said that for the first time the Board of Revenue was made part of the development programme and besides building 100 Patwarkhanas, or revenue offices, the land record of 18 districts would be computerised.

The minister eulogised the Bacha Khan poverty alleviation pilot project initiated in Dir Upper, Battagram, Karak and Mardan districts and said Rs 501 million was allocated to set up 1,800 rural organisations, provide training to 11,000 people and small loans to 2,600 people. He said 400 irrigation and water and 920 model fruit and vegetable orchards would be established under the project.

The minister said under an action plan seven power generation projects would be initiated to produce 509 megawatt electricity while soon work on three projects having the capacity of 56 megawatt would be started with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank.

The minister said Rs 1 billion had been set aside for Bacha Khan Khpal Rozgar Scheme to provide loans from Rs 2,500 to 100,000 to those pursuing self-employment projects.