Employees of tribal projects regularised

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly on Friday passed FATA Project Employees’ Regularization Bill 2021.

The bill was tabled in the assembly by provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai to regularize 3,449 employees of the ex-FATA working in 121 projects across the seven tribal districts. The employees of 32 ex-FATA projects are still out of the regularization process but the Establishment Department has been directed to submit a report about these projects within 32 days so that their employees could also be given permanent status. The bill was passed by the assembly unanimously.

Talking on the occasion Yousafzai said that the committee formed for the regularization is praiseworthy because its members helped create a consensus on the issue.

“The tribal belt is hit hard by terrorism and the government is committed to the development of tribal districts. Therefore the CM Mahmood Khan decided to regularize all the project employees,” he said, adding that the employees of the leftover projects would be regularized in the next phase.

On the occasion, MPA Khushdil Khan said that the rules dictate that all the recruitment should be made zone-wise and it should be checked whether these recruitments are zone-wise or not? He, however, withdrew his amendment on the request of the treasury benches.

The assembly also passed Upper Swat Development Authority Bill 2021.

The assembly also approved a committee on the tragic Deans Trade Center shooting after MPA Soabia Shahid pointed out that three members of the plaza administration had also been included in the FIR along with the accused involved in the murder which is unjust. She said that these three people had been also in prison for the past six months. Deputy Speaker said that there were no political motives behind the arrests but constituted a three member committee to look into the matter.

JUI-F minority MPA Rajit Singh talking on a point of order said that a Pashto song was hurting the religious feelings of the Hindu community because ‘conversion of a Hindu girl’ had been mentioned in it. He demanded that the song should be banned by Pemra.

Moving an adjournment motion about the recent abduction of children across the province in large number, MPA Nighat Orakzai said that there was an increase in the number of abduction incidents of children and some children were still missing.

She said that a cell should be established for the recovery of these children and steps should be taken to stop such incidents.

“Several children who went missing were never ever recovered which is a big failure on the part of K-P police. Data should be compiled on those involved because due to faulty investigation criminals involved in the kidnapping of children are roaming freely,” she said. “Around 2,960 children were sexually assaulted in 2020 alone as in 91 cases close relatives and in 92 cases neighbours were found involved. In 480 cases strangers were involved,” she said.

The independent MPA Mir Kalam also pointed out that the performance of the police was unsatisfactory as far as street crimes, target killing and kidnapping for ransom is concerned.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2022.