Tag: Khyber Pakhtun­khwa

  • Missing persons commission taking salaries in lacs, haven’t solved 2,297 cases from 2011-2023: missing persons report

    Missing persons commission taking salaries in lacs, haven’t solved 2,297 cases from 2011-2023: missing persons report

    A report submitted on orders of the Supreme Court by the Missing Persons Commission has said that most of the cases of missing persons have been reported by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Balochistan.

    A total of 2297 cases of missing persons are pending while members of the commission as well as the heads are all being paid hefty salaries. The report was presented in front of the two-member commission for missing persons constituted by the Interior Ministry on the Supreme Court’s directions. It is headed by Justice (R) Javed Iqbal while the second member is the former inspector general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sharif Virk.

    According to the information extracted by Samaa’s Sohail Rashid via Auditor General Pakistan, the highest number of 3,485 cases of missing persons were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by the enforced disappearance of 2,752 citizens from Balochistan.

    The report states that the reason behind the said disappearances in KP was extremism, war, and deaths in drone attacks. Moreover, moving to another country without informing one’s family owing to a war-like situation was also a reason behind the said disappearances, as per the commission.

    Furthermore, 744 production orders were issued to produce the missing persons, while only 52 were executed. The 692 production orders issued by the commission were not even implemented by the relevant authorities, the commission reported.

    The police and sensitive institutions filed 182 requests for revision of the production orders, the report says, adding that out of the unimplemented production orders, 503 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    From March 2011 to December 2023, 4,413 missing persons returned home, while 994 were incarcerated in various detention centres and 644 imprisoned in different jails of the country.

    From March 2011 to December 2023, bodies of 261 missing persons were found, according to the commission, which also dismissed 1,477 cases it categorized as non-enforced disappearances.

    The commission further says that the disposed of cases involved kidnapping for ransom, personal grudges or willful disappearances.

    Moreover, 260 cases from Punjab, 163 from Sindh, and 1,336 from KP are still pending in the commission as well as 468 cases from Balochistan, 55 from Islamabad and 15 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

    According to the report, the monthly salaries of the 35 officers and employees of the Missing Persons Commission are more than Rs1.5 million. Commission chief, Justice (r) Javed Iqbal receives a monthly salary of Rs674,000, while that of Zia Parvez, a member of the commission, is Rs829,000, as per the report.

    Commission member Justice (r) Amanullah’s salary is over Rs1.1 million, while that of Sharif Virk is Rs263,000.
    The Supreme Court has sought a response from the federal government within 20 days of receiving the report of the missing persons commission.

  • Financial crunch in KP: Textbook size to be cut down

    Financial crunch in KP: Textbook size to be cut down

    The caretaker setup in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has come up with a new plan to make do with the scarcity of funds. According to Dawn, the provincial government did not release the funds required by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board to publish course books due to the financial crisis in the last three years.

    In the meantime, the government provided books to students free of charge.

    The caretaker government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided in the last cabinet meeting to reduce the size of textbooks and provide half of schoolchildren with old course books hoping this will save over three billion rupees for printing books.

    The printing of books in the upcoming academic year 2023-24 was estimated to cost Rs8.528 billion but the amount will go down to Rs5.247 billion by cutting the size of textbooks and providing 50 percent of schoolchildren with the books that were collected from the students after their promotion to next grades.

    As per the report, the government is on a saving spree, and for that, 6-12 graders will be given 50 percent of old books to be collected by schools from students promoted to the next grades. The government says that only the books in good condition will be given away to students with the move saving the government Rs1.8 billion, according to the documents.

    The students of grades 4-5 will use 20 percent of the old books saving the government Rs334 million.

    Reducing the textbook size from nursery-grade 12 will save the government Rs. 1.1 billion.

    Dawn’s Muhammad Ashfaq talked to officials in the Education department of the province who stated that downsizing of textbooks and distribution of old books to school children came “under compulsion” as the finance department didn’t release funds for printing textbooks to the board on time. They said that even the total payment of Rs 10 billion to printing companies for the previous year was done in piecemeal. This time around, printing companies have shown no interest although the bid was announced multiple times.

    The officials feared a two-month learning loss for schoolchildren in the next academic year saying the publishers won’t be able to deliver orders by the end of May.

  • In a first, women to contest general elections in Shangla and Buner

    In a first, women to contest general elections in Shangla and Buner

    Dr. Sawera Prakash has become the first Hindu woman to contest from Buner, while Nadia Sher Khan has become the first woman to contest from Shangla, Swat.

    The elections, scheduled for February 8, mark a significant step towards inclusivity and representation in the region, traditionally known for its conservative values.

    Dr. Sawera Prakash, who has submitted nomination papers for both reserved seats of the National and Provincial assemblies, is affiliated with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for an impressive 35 years. She is now set to create history as the first woman to contest elections for the provincial assembly from constituency PK-25 on a general seat, reports Samaa News.

    The PPP, recognising her potential, urged her father Dr. Om Prakash, an active political and social worker, to bring his daughter into the political arena. Her father is known for his dedication to the welfare of humanity, and has played a pivotal role in serving both public and private sector health centers, reports Dawn.

    In Shangla, for the first time, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Nadia Sher Khan of Saidu Sharif, Swat, has submitted nomination papers for the Shangla’s PK-30 constituency. She is running for the general elections on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-Parliamentariticket.
    A tough competition is expected between PTI and PML-N in this district.

  • ‘Virtual Prison Meetings’ coming to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

    ‘Virtual Prison Meetings’ coming to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

    In a historic move, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has introduced a virtual system in prisons to facilitate inmates’ meetings with their family members.

    It has also unveiled a transformative digital governance initiative, shifting the entire arms licensing system to an online platform.

    The groundbreaking initiative was announced during a comprehensive progress review meeting for the “Khushhal Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa” program, where Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retired) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah presided over the session.

    The meeting brought together key figures, including concerned provincial ministers, the chief secretary, administrative secretaries of relevant departments, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners attending via video link. The primary focus of the meeting was to assess the progress of various initiatives under the “Khushhal Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa” program.

    Significant headway has been made in the digitization process of manual mutations, resulting in a notable decrease from 813 to 386 cases in recent weeks.

    The statement released on X (former Twitter) also added, “The CM emphasized the program’s vital role in public welfare, urging a collective effort for its full implementation. He stressed the need for a comprehensive approach against issues like encroachments, drugs, adulteration, corruption, and illegal activities. Addressing concerns about revenue matters, he directed swift resolution of cases, emphasizing personal responsibility for officers.”

    One of the major highlights of this digital transformation is the transition of the entire arm licensing system to an online platform. This move is expected to streamline and modernize the licensing process, bringing it into the digital era.

    Simultaneously, the innovative approach of virtual systems in prisons to facilitate inmates’ meetings with their family members aims to enhance communication and connection between inmates and their loved ones, contributing to their overall well-being.

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools in plains get short winter holidays

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools in plains get short winter holidays

    Winter vacations have been announced for all the educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a notification released by the provincial Education Department.

    Holidays in all the plain areas, typically the summer zone, will span from December 23 to December 31. However in the winter zone, including the mountainous region, winter vacations will be for an extensive time, from December 23 to February 29.

    The long break in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan is due to the severe winter conditions in the region which brings all the activities to a halt.

  • Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari met PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) leaders on Sunday to discuss the upcoming general elections and political alliances with like-minded parties.

    During the huddle, the former president also directed the PPP leaders to not form an alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the forthcoming polls on February 8 next year.

    Asif Zardari said that local leaders of PPP can form alliances with any other political party except the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    The former president stayed at the Governor House, while KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali met him as well.

    Governor Ghulam Ali and Mayor Peshawar Zubair Ali gave a traditional shawl to a PPP co-chairperson as a gift.

    Meanwhile, PPP’s senior leaders also ruled out an election alliance with the PTI in KP. “We never brought under discussion alliance with PTI in our meeting with party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday,” said PPP leader and former MPA Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha.

    The head of the PPP women’s wing, Faryal Talpur, also attended the PPP KP parliamentary board meeting.

    Former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Faisal Karim Kundi, Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, and Rubina Khalid also attended the huddle.

    On the other hand, another PPP leader, Ziaullah Afridi, said that the former president didn’t visit KP. He claimed that he invited Zardari to his son’s wedding, and the former president just accepted it.

  • Temperatures to fall further across Pakistan

    Temperatures to fall further across Pakistan

    Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted cold and dry weather for most parts of the country.

    Sindh is to experience a wave of cold especially in Karachi. Weather analyst Jawad Memon has said, “Mercury may drop to single digit in the suburban areas of Karachi.”

    A shallow westerly wave was affecting western Balochistan which is likely to have moved northeast. It will affect the upper parts, causing cold waves in Sindh as soon as the system moves out in the next 24 hours.

    The Met Department said that mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most plain areas of the country, while very cold and partly cloudy weather is expected in the upper parts during the next week.

    Fog is likely in upper Sindh, plain areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during morning and night, it added.

  • 23 soldiers martyred in a terrorist attack in DI Khan: ISPR

    23 soldiers martyred in a terrorist attack in DI Khan: ISPR

    At least 23 soldiers of the Pakistan army were martyred after militants attacked a checkpost with an explosive-laden truck in Khyber-Paktunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.

    The ISPR added that the terrorists rammed the truck after their attempts to gain entry were “effectively thwarted”.
    “The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing attack.

    “The resulting blasts led to the collapse of the building, causing multiple casualties; 23 brave soldiers embraced shahadat, while all six terrorists were effectively engaged and sent to hell,” the ISPR said.

    It added that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists present in the area. “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthens our resolve,” the ISPR said.
    Separately, 17 terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan.

    “During the conduct of the operation, terrorists’ hideout was busted and 17 terrorists were sent to hell,” the military’s media affairs wing said.

    ️ The ISPR further stated that two soldiers embraced martyrdom while four more terrorists were neutralised in another IBO in the Kulachi area.

    “️ The killed terrorists were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered during the operations,” it added.

    This is the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, 12 soldiers were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan in July.

  • A hero in town: Roshan Bibi saves children, husband from bullets

    A hero in town: Roshan Bibi saves children, husband from bullets

    Roshan Bibi, a 28-year-old woman from Ghazar, saved her husband and children in a firing incident on a bus in Chilas.

    On December 2, when terrorists fired at a bus in Chilas, Roshan Bibi laid her one-and-a-half-year-old son, four-year-old daughter and husband on the floor of the bus and she herself lied down on top of them to protect them. Six shots were fired.

    Roshan Bibi along with her husband Syed Ahmad Shah and two children were travelling to Karachi at the time.

    In the tragic incident of firing on the bus, nine people were killed and 26 people were injured.

    Roshan Bibi was injured and shifted to Gilgit, where three bullets were removed from her body during an operation while three are still reportedly in her body, which are yet to be removed.

    Roshan Bibi has been transferred to a private hospital in Karachi.

  • How to find a snatched mobile phone? Peshawar police knows the way

    How to find a snatched mobile phone? Peshawar police knows the way

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have devised a way to curb the snatching and stealing of cell phones, a menace for most of the major cities of the country. FMC (Find my Cell), an app launched by police authorities at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines Peshawar, will help trace your stolen phone.

    Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ashfaq Anwar has said that the new app will connect registered mobile dealers to local police stations to stop the sale of snatched or stolen mobile phones.

    Registered dealers, in case of any suspicion, will get details of all the stolen and snatched phones. The dealers will be registered after verification from the concerned police stations and concerned associations.

    All the mobile dealers would be given forms of registration. These forms will hold the details of all those who are selling phones to them. “This will be uploaded to a database that will be available on the FMC,” CCPO added.

    CCPO Ashfaq Anwar said the local police were taking measures to improve law and order and stop the snatching and theft of phones and using modern technology.