K-P plans case against Islamabad top cop

After threatening to do so for a long time, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has decided to file an FIR against Islamabad IG Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, by name, and 600 unknown accomplices for allegedly raiding the K-P House in the federal capital, trespassing the premises, violating the privacy of the residents, committing theft, and other crimes.

The cabinet held that the act also amounted to terrorism, and thus the relevant sections of the ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act) will be included in the FIR.

The K-P Government had also filed such complaints in the relevant courts of Islamabad, but this time a case will be registered within the territorial jurisdiction of its own province.

The cabinet further noted that on October 6, 2024, the CDA allegedly sealed K-P House, which was subsequently unsealed following the directions of the Islamabad High Court in response to a writ petition filed by the Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

CM Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, presided over the meeting held at the Civil Secretariat Peshawar, and it was attended by ministers, advisors, special assistants, the chief secretary, additional chief secretaries, the senior member of the Board of Revenue, and relevant administrative secretaries.

The cabinet also approved amendments to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012, allowing it to be presented before the provincial assembly

Besides some minor changes related to the administrative functions of the universities, the notable amendments include the chief minister becoming the chancellor of varsities, and the appointing authority for vice chancellors.

The amendments also set the vice chancellors' tenures as four years, subject to a mid-tenure review by a Performance Evaluation Committee to be constituted by the government.

It has also been made mandatory that only female candidates will be appointed as VCs for public sector women's universities of the province.

The cabinet approved the draft Agriculture Income Tax Act, 2024, which will be presented in the K-P Assembly for enactment and, if approved, will come into force from January 2025.

It is worth mentioning that during discussions with the Federal Board of Revenue and the International Monetary Fund, the need to levy Agriculture Income Tax on companies (both small and others) involved in corporate agriculture was highlighted. Additionally, the introduction of measures such as a "super tax" on high-earning individuals and companies, and penalties for misdeclaration and nonsubmission of Agriculture Income Tax returns, was deemed necessary.