PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government announced on Wednesday the convention of an All Parties Conference in Peshawar in the coming days to chalk out a strategy to begin peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban. 

The announcement comes a day after a suicide attack in Mardan that killed 35 people, including provincial MPA Imran Khan Mohmand, and injuring over 60 people.

Speaking to reporters at Lady Reading Hospital, PTI Deputy Parliamentary Leader in K-P and provincial Health and Information Minister, Shaukat Yousafzai, reiterated that the war on terror was not Pakistan’s war and dialogue, rather than force, was the solution to lasting peace in the region.

“If the Unites States has started negotiations with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar, despite the former fighting the latter for the last 12 years with their sophisticated weapons, and recognised that talks is the only solution, then we should also start talks to bring peace in our region,” Yousafzai said.

The health minister added that the K-P government would convene the APC in the coming days and political parties, members of the civil society, intellectuals and professors will be invited to chalk out a comprehensive strategy.

“When we agree on a one point agenda during our upcoming provincial APC, then a jirga will meet the federal government to inform them about our grievances and demands. The federal government needs to come into the front because PML-N has also promised restoration of peace during electioneering,” said the PTI leader.

He stated that PTI had planned before the general elections to review Pakistan’s foreign policy and the American drone programme if it came into power at the Centre. But since the party could only win in K-P, it now was the PML-N government’s jurisdiction to take practical steps to stop the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.

The deputy parliamentary leader in K-P opined that there was no guarantee of peace across the country if there was no harmony in K-P.

Replying to a question about the difficulties of starting any peace talks in the face of continuous drone strikes, Yousafzai said the federal government should not take any dictation from the US and avoid taking help from foreign countries in the shape of loans.

“How dare the US interfere in our internal affairs when we can directly tell them that we do not need their help. The time has come to make a clear policy so that the people can know what is going on in dealing with other countries,” he said.

An inquiry report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, states a total of 34 patients tested positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV)/hepatitis B virus (HBV) from June 1, 2012 till December 31, 2012. These patients were said to be HCV negative upon their admission to the hospital, indicating they contracted the virus through contaminated or reused artificial kidneys used for their dialysis.

The inquiry team only collected data for the six-month period, claiming it was not possible to vet the full record – from 2005 onwards. “Annual turnover of 34 HCV/HBV cases is detected in the dialysis unit of LRH. This clearly shows it is a killing field rather than a curative unit of LRH – the largest and most prestigious hospital of the province,” read the text of the inquiry, which was conducted by director administration of the health department Dr Muhammad Zaman Afridi and section officer (Budget 1) Muhammad Zakir.

The report adds some HCV/HBV patients received dialysis through machines not meant for HCV patients. This indicated all the machines were contaminated, with hapless patients not aware of the deadly dose.

Catching the culprits

According to the report, at least some ill-fated patients died due to the criminal negligence of the nephrology department’s head Professor Dr Akhtar Ali and dialysis technician at the LRH unit, Nasrullah.

The first page of the report states technician and storekeeper Nasrullah has been coming to the unit between 5 and 6am every day since the last 14 years. He illegally reuses discarded artificial kidneys and blood tubes while performing dialysis on patients till the arrival of doctors at about 9am.

Nasrullah then comes for his second shift from 3pm till 7pm. The report estimates the offence – spread over nearly a decade and a half – may have resulted in the deaths of 500 patients each year.

The report states Nasrullah pocketed the money he received from patients as fees while the receipts were never deposited so no hospital record exists. “The grievous matter was brought to the notice of the nephrology unit’s head, but no action was taken, which indicates he is fully involved in the unlawful practice,” it reads.

The dossier shows staff members at the dialysis unit also bore witness. During investigation and interviews with the employees, many swore Nasrullah was indeed reusing artificial kidneys.

Money matters

Till April 20, 2013, the main pharmacy at LRH issued 33,472 BHD and AHD solutions to the dialysis unit – each containing four and 10 litres, respectively. The stock was meant for 61,075 patients. Against the same, 45,480 dialyses were performed, while the remaining stock of solutions was used with reused artificial kidneys. The Rs1,500 fee charged from patients was then misappropriated with receipts not deposited to the hospital account.

In its conclusion, the report states the government suffered a loss of Rs21.855 million which could further increase if the main store’s data on earlier stocks was available.

“The inquiry team is fully convinced organised crimes were committed in the dialysis unit of LRH for a few worldly gains. All the malpractices were committed by two individuals, Professor Dr Akhtar Ali and dialysis technician Nasrullah,” reads the text of the report.

Recommendations

The team has given strong recommendations to the government, saying strict punishment may be handed to the two accused under the Efficiency and Disciplinary Rules, 2011.

“Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) may be requested to put a lifetime ban on the practice of Dr Akhtar Ali. A major punishment of dismissal from service may be awarded to Nasrullah and the medical faculty of K-P may be requested to put a lifetime ban on his private practice.”

It also recommends Rs21.855 million may be recovered from Dr Akhtar Ali and Nasrullah, while the former may be transferred and not posted to any position where financial matters are involved.

The dialysis unit may be closed and quarantined till the contaminated dialysis machines are disinfected, it added.

Biased inquiry?

The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), K-P has rejected the report, saying those who conducted the inquiry know nothing about the medical field.

“There are technical faults in the report, and is biased to defame the medical fraternity and hospital,” PDA Chairman Dr Shah Sawar told reporters on Tuesday.

He demanded the health department conduct a second inquiry into the alleged scandal and include technical people so that the matter can be properly highlighted. If any person is involved, they should be given punishment, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2013.

Making treatment affordable

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government has planned to initiate a number of projects, one of which would be a health insurance scheme in low-income districts. Families in low-income brackets will be offered insurance cards which will enable them to get free treatment for cancer, AIDS, and kidney and liver diseases. Rs500 million will be sanctioned for the insurance scheme.

‘Insulin for Life’ is another initiative to provide treatment to diabetic patients. Initially, the head of the Hayatabad Medical Complex Endocrinology Department will be the focal person, but eventually the programme will be extended to all district headquarters hospitals, aiming to benefit 15,000 patients.

“Ongoing free treatment for cancer and hepatitis C will continue for which Rs500 million and Rs175 million will be issued, respectively,” reads the document. The K-P government means to provide free treatment to 36,000 tuberculosis and 800 cancer patients.

Facilities at accident and emergency (A&E) departments of Peshawar and other district hospitals will be upgraded and all patients who come to these departments will get free treatment. Rs100 million has been proposed for this.

According to the budget document, qualified management officials would be posted at all tertiary care hospitals.

Maternal and child health

“The government will give Rs200 to those mothers who go for check-ups to qualified doctors after every three months following the birth of their child.” This initiative will at first be launched in 10 districts of K-P to decrease the maternal mortality ratio.

In addition, those mothers who get follow-up health checks during pregnancy from qualified midwives or at a hospital will be granted Rs1,000. The economic plan for 2013-2014 has allocated Rs300 million for this programme, which aims to decrease child mortality rates.

Immunisation has remained a controversial issue in K-P and over the past few years, many children did not receive essential routine vaccinations due to a lack of funds and political will. However, the government claims to have chalked out a new plan.

Under the new strategy, a special programme will be initiated in 10 less-developed districts – those parents whose children receive complete vaccination courses will receive Rs1,000 per child and in total, Rs200 million will be spent on this project.

The broad strokes

The ‘integration of vertical programmes’ – the merger of four projects funded by the centre – will be completed with foreign funding. The annual development programme in health sector for FY 2013-14 will receive Rs8 billion. The PTI, Qaumi Watan Party, Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad’s coalition government also plans to construct the Gajju Khan Medical College in Swabi, provide new instruments to IRNUM, Peshawar, and construct hostels for the Saidu Medical College Swat. The government will continue the training of nurses for the next three years.

A new paediatric ward will be constructed and new instruments will be procured for the surgical ICU at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). The construction of a paramedics’ hostel at the LRH will also be completed.

The budget goes on to promise the completion of district headquarters hospitals in Kohistan and Hangu, as well as 16 new basic health units. The fiscal plan also includes the completion of A&E units at Kohat, Mardan and DI Khan hospitals. While the document explains some aims in great detail, others are vague at best. The provincial government had consulted the planning and development department to put together a comprehensive plan to improve service delivery in government-run hospitals.

A nutrition and healthcare programme will start across five to eight districts which suffer from the worst health problems.

The government also suggested a survey be carried out to learn about diseases impacting the entire province. It says this exercise might point out where it can start a three-year health project through public-private partnership.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: The ‘Begum Nusrat Bhutto Oncological Services for Cancer Patients’ was meant to provide free chemotherapy and radiotherapy services to underprivileged cancer patients, but this already delayed beacon of hope is yet to see the light of day.

The Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (IRNUM), Institute of Nuclear Medicine Oncology and Radiotherapy Abbottabad and the oncology unit of Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar and Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad were chosen to provide the free service. Currently there are more than 40,000 cancer patients in these four centres including those with lung, mouth and stomach cancer – all of which have highly expensive cost of treatment.

It had been advertised that these institutes were in the process of obtaining the expensive medicines, but unfortunately the funds required to obtain the medicines were not released.

“We were the main beneficiaries and after the inauguration of the programme we advertised in newspapers that we would purchase the required medicines. However, some problems arose and we could not start the free cancer treatment services,” one official said, requesting anonymity.

The annual budget for the programme was Rs500 million. The amount was supposed to be issued each year to avoid suspension of treatment. Under the second phase of the programme, radiotherapy equipment of up to Rs267 million was to be purchased for IRNUM.

“We were buying all our equipment and medicine according to the roles set by the World Health Organization, which is recognised across the world, but a company objected to this method. The company challenged our procedure and also challenged it in court,” Health Directorate Director General Dr Muhammad Zafar told The Express Tribune.

Zafar went on to say they have returned the money to the finance department. The budget allocated for the free cancer treatment is with the secretary of health, however, a stay order of the court prevents them from carrying the project forward. It is only when the stay order is withdrawn that the project will be resumed.

“We have directed our lawyer to speed up the case. We want to provide this treatment in our province so people do not have to travel to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore for free treatment,” Dr Zafar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2013.

Theory vs. applicability

Political parties often promote their own provincial health policies while campaigning for elections. However, little attention is given to the practicality of these policies.

The previous government’s policy was comprehensive about addressing the health sector’s woes. In addition to defining doctors’ duties and fee structures, the policy also gave details on various ways to improve healthcare. For instance, classifying hospitals according to available facilities so that patients could be referred to the relevant institution for the disease they were suffering from. Furthermore, the policy clearly defined goals for the next few years according to available funding and human resources and also stated where human resources could be increased, how new institutions could be opened, and ways to rectify wrong doings. Among other objectives, the plan suggested increasing the health budget, consulting donors for funding and strengthening public-private partnerships.

However, the Awami National Party(ANP)-Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) coalition government ultimately failed to implement its ideas. Organisational restructuring of the provincial health department worth Rs944.5 million and the integration of four vertical projects was initiated but could not be completed during the government’s tenure as not all stakeholders were onboard.

Sector-based issues

During the ANP-PPP government, doctors were seen protesting frequently in an attempt to pressure the government into accepting their demands. These demands included service structures, security and higher salaries and proved to be consistent hurdles for patients and medical personnel.

“Forming a policy after the 18th Amendment was the responsibility of K-P, but we did not have the technical experience to do so,” said an official of the health department requesting anonymity. “It is a process that takes months because every department, including finance and planning and development, has to be involved.”

The official added a lack of policy resulted in patients with minor disease now consulting tertiary care hospitals whose main purpose was research and doctor training. “This is because grass root level institutions such as rural health centres and basic health units are not fully functional.”

Shedding light on pertinent issues, the official further said health services require information from all districts so that relevant facilities could be established in various locations. “We do not even have enough information to make a policy because the health department has no standardised information gathering system.”

The case is similar for doctors who have no fixed fee structure and private sector clinics that charge thousands of rupees to treat minor disease. These diseases, unfortunately, take too long to treat in government hospitals.

“Doctors are leaving the country because there is no security for them and the provincial government has failed to chalk out a comprehensive health policy regarding their objectives.  A doctor is appointed at basic pay scale-17 and retires at the same grade after 25 years of service, which is completely unjust,” said Provincial Doctors Association President Dr Abdul Qadir.

Qadir further said if doctors were provided adequate facilities and security in far-flung areas none of the association’s members would refuse to work.

In the wake of forming the new provincial government, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), like its predecessors, has made a plan to improve K-P’s health sector. However, despite the claim that the health sector’s budget will be doubled, the PTI-led government faces a number of problems with very limited resources. Officials in the provincial health department also remain clueless as to how the new government will meet the challenges it promised to solve during its campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department does not seem to be taking adequate measures to control the recent outbreak of measles in the province. In fact, the department does not even have a record of deaths which resulted from the disease.

By local estimates, measles killed 79 children in the last five months in Peshawar alone. In stark contrast, the department claims only seven such deaths occurred in K-P.

Pointing fingers at parents, the department says they do not get their children vaccinated despite vaccines being available free of cost in hospitals. Parents, on the other hand, say a door to door campaign should be conducted for children who missed routine vaccinations.

According to data available with the K-P health department, a total 4,414 cases of measles were reported in K-P in the last five months along with seven deaths. These included three children in Upper Dir and two each in Karak and Nowshera. The highest number of measles cases was reported in Peshawar — 2,343.

Data obtained from three major hospitals in Peshawar showed the Lady Reading Hospital registered 878 cases with 58 deaths, Hayatabad Medical Complex received 318 cases with 15 deaths and Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) registered 171 cases and six deaths.

Out of the 171 cases KTH received, 69 children were found to be unvaccinated. A female doctor working in KTH Children’s Ward B also contracted measles while treating patients.

This shows a large number of patients are visiting hospitals and the outbreak is reaching epidemic levels in the district.

“A door-to-door vaccination campaign for measles needs to be carried out just like it is done for polio,” Assistant Professor Dr Irshad Ahmad told The Express Tribune. “People hardly bring children to hospitals for inoculation and they have only become aware of the problem after dozens of children became infected in the province.”

Ahmad added many parents also did not get their children vaccinated because healthcare centres were located far from their homes.

Despite these concerns, the government still has not started a mass vaccination campaign against the curable disease. The provincial health department’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) gives the impression it is only focusing on eradicating polio while other diseases are ignored.  Many donors, including the WHO and UNICEF, have poured money into a provincial government which continues to rely on the centre to begin a mass vaccination campaign, even asking the federal government for Rs430 million for the purpose. This amount is yet to be issued.

“We may begin a campaign in the province in September or October. Residents of specific villages will be assembled at a certain place and vaccinated. A door to door campaign is not possible right now,” said a high-ranking EPI official requesting anonymity.

Measles is a highly infectious disease caused by nose and throat secretions of an infected person. The germs can also be found in airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The first sign of the disease is a high fever which begins approximately 10-12 days after exposure and lasts seven days. During this period, the patient may develop a runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots on the inside of cheeks.

Measles is prevented with two vaccination doses. The first is administered when the child is nine months old and second when 15 months old. Almost all non-immune children contract measles if exposed to the infection.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s instructions to bring change in three tertiary care hospitals of the city have compelled hospital chiefs to take practical steps in order to provide treatment to patients at minimum cost and improve sanitation.

“Soon after the CM’s orders, we forwarded a proposal to the provincial health department for a non-annual development programme and pointed out what we needed to create a suitable environment for doctors and patients alike.” Khyber Teaching Hospital Chief Executive Dr Umer Ayub told The Express Tribune.

Ayub added his hospital needed to install new equipment in order to provide timely treatment to patients. “We have asked the health department to provide us this equipment.”

He said the main focus would be on providing free medicines to all patients visiting the hospital, for which funds in addition to the annual allocated budget were required.

Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) chief Dr Muhammad Zubair said the hospital administration had directed all staff to be on duty, adding negligence would not be accepted. He claimed the HMC would be different from other healthcare institutions of the district with regards to cleanliness and treatments for patients.

“We have ordered a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and a CT-scan machines. This was approved by the government and will soon be installed to improve patient care,” Zubair said.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Doctors Association President Dr Abdul Qadir said the government should take doctors on board before issuing such orders. He further added doctors were committed to the welfare of the people. “However, our reservations must be addressed by the government first.”

“Appointments of people on the basis of political influence must be stopped in these hospitals and capable people should be brought on merit so they can deliver quality health care services,” Dr Qadir said.

The doctor further added Peshawar’s hospitals were overburdened because patients visited from far-flung areas and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

“The government needs to equip basic health units, rural health centres and tehsil headquarters hospitals so patients do not need to travel too far for treatment.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2013.

There is no straight line to point a finger at. Both drivers of the vehicles and the transport department claim the problem lies on the other side while in reality both are responsible. Vehicle drivers are either not aware of the requirement to have a fitness check done or wilfully avoid the ‘hassle’. The department lacks the necessary machines to give a bus or a wagon a clean bill of health after a thorough analysis.

By law, known to some but not all, it is mandatory for all public transport carriers to get their vehicles’ fitness certification every six months. This is meant to ensure each part of the said vehicle fulfils the safety and regulatory requirements to run on the roads. These regulations are meant to ensure major accidents do not take place as a result of vehicle malfunction. In part, these checks also make sure the buses or vans are environment friendly.

According to an official in the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), only 5% bring their automobiles in to get fitness certificates.

Unfortunately, the RTA does not even have sufficient tech to check the 5% which do come in.

“There are no enforcement laws to bring vehicles without fitness certificates in forcefully. We manually push the brake, we check how much smoke is emitted by pushing the accelerator and then check the overall condition of the vehicle,” said the official on the condition of anonymity.

According to the official, an “analyser machine” is needed for accurate information about each part of a vehicle. Unfortunately, the RTA does not have the said machine to issue fitness certificates.

It costs Rs200 to issue the document for heavy vehicles and Rs100 for light vehicles.

A driver at the general bus stand, Umer Khan, said there was no mass campaign to make sure each vehicle carried the fitness certificates. He pointed out if anyone needed this document, it was just a matter of bribing an official and the certificate would be issued in half an hour.

“The traffic police hardly ask us to provide the fitness certificate and most of the drivers do not know about it. There is no punishment for not obtaining it. Most of the vehicles on GT Road are not fit to be used for passengers because they are old and have been repaired one too many times,” retorted Umer.

On the other hand, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Transport claimed it had achieved major success in the past years as many outdated vehicles have been fined for not fulfilling the requirement.

Motor Vehicle Examiner Malik Mudasir said the directorate issued fitness certificates to 8,000 vehicles in January, 5,400 in February, 5,200 in March and 7,000 in April across the province.

He also claimed they charged 800 vehicles just in Peshawar during last month for not possessing fitness certificates.

However, Transport Directorate Director Manzoor Ahmad maintained there was lack of coordination between their department and the traffic police which prevented any large-scale drive to impound vehicles breaking this particular safety law.

“We are going to install analyser machines in the district transport office for issuing fitness certificates; it will be the only one in the county. We have been planning to get the machine for the last one year but there were some problems delaying its installation.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2013.

PESHAWAR: The members of Sumbal’s family are sitting outside the Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit in the Lady Reading Hospital, waiting for doctors to tell them their injured loved one was stable.

Sumbal and her colleague Sharafata Bibi were administering polio drops to children in Kaga Wala, Badhaber when they were attacked by two unidentified motorcyclists on Tuesday. Sharafata succumbed to her injuries, but Sumbal survived the attack. She did, however, sustain severe wounds to her neck.

Her injuries were critical, but as her family kept watch, Sumbal slowly came out of a 16-hour-long coma. While she can use her hands, her legs show no signs of movement.

Sumbal, 18, has been part of the vaccination campaign for at least a year. A resident of Sheikh Mohammadi and a student of class eight, she works a job which is known to get people killed or injured in a city prone to doing the same, risking her life for a mere Rs500 per day.

Born the sixth of nine siblings, Sumbal’s father Gul Muhammad is a sub inspector and her elder sister is a lady health worker in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health department. Yet, the job was not forced on her by her family in an effort to increase their income.

“We did not tell her to take part in the polio drive. She was ambitious about serving the community and saving the lives of innocent children. I suppose, in our conservative society, people may be disdainful behind her back but I don’t care. If I think my daughters can do better, let them to do it,” said Gul Muhammad.“Although our family is broken up over the incident, my elder daughter – the health worker – still believes they will continue to participate in such activities, come what may.”

“She would buy clothes and other odds and ends with her income. Sumbal never complained about any threats posed to her,” shared Amir, a cousin.

He added Sumbal’s mother was being treated for spinal cord and blood pressure problems for many years. “Ever since she heard about the attack on her daughter, she has not been in stable condition.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2013.

The bomb was strapped to a motorcycle which was parked near a Sabeel in Imamia Colony. Imambargah Sakhi Munawar Shah is located nearby. Members of the local Shia community gather near the Sabeel every evening.

The bomb was detonated by a remote control device and its deafening sound was heard within a radius of several kilometres, police said. Nineteen people were wounded in the blast.

They were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where two of them – identified as Gulshan and Zaheer Abbas – succumbed to their injuries. They were sitting near the Sabeel when the explosion occurred. According to medics, another three injured have life-threatening wounds.

SP City Khalid Hamdani confirmed the casualties. He said the apparent target was the Shia community. “We had security steps in place but the terrorists managed to park the bomb-laden motorcycle near the Imambargah under the cover of darkness,” he told The Express Tribune.

Jaffar Ali, who was also injured in the blast, said he was chatting with friends near the Sabeel when the bomb went off. “I lost consciousness and when I regained my senses I found myself on the hospital bed,” Ali told The Express Tribune.

Another eyewitness Mumtaz Hussain said he saw the blast happening from the rooftop of his house which is adjacent to the Imambargah. “I saw a fireball followed by screams of victims,” he added.

Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials said they have found parts of the motorcycle used in the bomb attack. “It was a medium intensity bomb triggered by a remote control device,” BDS official Abdul Haq told The Express Tribune.

After the blast community members rushed to the LRH to find out if any of their relatives were among the victims. The hospital administration called in extra police force to maintain order.

“I was going to meet a friend who was present near the Imambargah when the blast occurred. I received shrapnel wounds to my left hand, while my friend was seriously injured,” Faqir Hussain said standing outside the Operation Theatre where doctors were performing a surgery on his friend.

Meanwhile in Kurram Agency, the hotbed of Shia-Sunni sectarian strife, at least 14 suspected militants were killed in a security operation on Tuesday.

Security forces were advancing to the Zarah Mela area of Central Kurram when suspected militants challenged them, a security official said. In the ensuing fighting, 14 militants were killed and three of their hideouts were destroyed, he added.

The official said that they have launched an operation to flush out militants from the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who captured the area recently.

The operation in Central Kurram was launched on May 8 after the security forces were informed that TTP militants had captured Gondal, Tabay, Malo Pattai, Darya Sarpakh, Goganay, Aroza, Makhranai Godar in the Para Chamkani area, forcing around 12,000 families to flee their homes and move to Lower Kurram and to Kohat and Hangu districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.