Staying healthy: Journalists to get greater medical coverage
Bill unanimously passed in K-P Assembly to this effect
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in session. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR:
Unlike previous K-P Assembly proceedings where tempers usually flare when the house is in session, fellow PTI MPAs Shah Farman and Zareen Zia had a verbal spat on Monday before matters even began.
As for legislation, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously passed a bill on Monday to increase medical allowance for journalists.
The house passed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Journalists Welfare Endowment Fund (Amendment) Act, 2015. Under it, the amount prescribed for the medical treatment of journalists was raised to Rs100,000 from Rs20,000. Previously, journalists could also stake a claim for medical expenses of their dependents, but now that no longer applies after the amendment
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Shaukat Yousafzai chaired the session as presiding officer in the absence of Speaker Asad Qaiser who was on leave.
Read: Leading the line: ‘K-P Assembly achieved great milestones’
Tourist attraction
The house took a question from Mufti Fazal Ghafoor of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) related to the development of Buner as a tourism spot. Ghafoor wanted the question to be referred to the standing committee, but Adviser to the Chief Minster on Sports, Culture, Tourism and Museums Amjad Khan Afridi said he was ready to discuss the matter.
“The government has a project outlined to develop 24 villages as tourist spots, “Afridi said in his response. “The feasibility study is under way and the project will kick off once it is completed.” Ghafoor agreed to discuss the matter after the session.
To vote
The house also put a call attention notice by JUI-F’s MPA Muhammad Asmatullah to the vote. The notice was related to the construction of eight police stations across the province; including one in Kohistan.
The treasury benches emerged victorious with 36 votes against changing the location of a police station in Kohistan to 24 in favour. The police stations were to be constructed under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2014-15 and 2015-16, but Kohistan Superintendent Police Irshad Khan wanted to change the location of one.
The presiding officer asked Minister for Law Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi to respond to the question. The minister suggested the matter be referred to the standing committee and the matter was finally referred to the house after Asmatullah’s interruptions. The JUI-F MPA lost the vote.
Flaring tempers
An MPA who was on tenterhooks through the session was Shah Farman. Before the start of the session, he exchanged harsh words with fellow PTI member Zareen Zia. He continued while replying to Asmatullah’s call to attention to notice. “This is the K-P Assembly not a tableeghi markaz. “If a spot has been decided to construct a police station, it cannot be changed.”
After the session, Zia told journalists Farman misbehaved with her. “How can a man be good to the women of his area if he has no respect for fellow party MPAs. He has no manners,” an enraged Zia said outside the house.
The house passed a resolution moved by PML-N MPA Saleh Muhammad asking the provincial government to stop double fining the delay in renewing route permits of commercial vehicles. The house passed the resolution unanimously.
Shaukat Yousafzai chaired the K-P Assembly session for the first time. He is among the founding members of PTI and contested in the 1997, 2002 and 2013 elections from Shangla district on a PTI ticket. Yousafzai owns an Urdu newspaper.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2015.
Unlike previous K-P Assembly proceedings where tempers usually flare when the house is in session, fellow PTI MPAs Shah Farman and Zareen Zia had a verbal spat on Monday before matters even began.
As for legislation, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously passed a bill on Monday to increase medical allowance for journalists.
The house passed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Journalists Welfare Endowment Fund (Amendment) Act, 2015. Under it, the amount prescribed for the medical treatment of journalists was raised to Rs100,000 from Rs20,000. Previously, journalists could also stake a claim for medical expenses of their dependents, but now that no longer applies after the amendment
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Shaukat Yousafzai chaired the session as presiding officer in the absence of Speaker Asad Qaiser who was on leave.
Read: Leading the line: ‘K-P Assembly achieved great milestones’
Tourist attraction
The house took a question from Mufti Fazal Ghafoor of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) related to the development of Buner as a tourism spot. Ghafoor wanted the question to be referred to the standing committee, but Adviser to the Chief Minster on Sports, Culture, Tourism and Museums Amjad Khan Afridi said he was ready to discuss the matter.
“The government has a project outlined to develop 24 villages as tourist spots, “Afridi said in his response. “The feasibility study is under way and the project will kick off once it is completed.” Ghafoor agreed to discuss the matter after the session.
To vote
The house also put a call attention notice by JUI-F’s MPA Muhammad Asmatullah to the vote. The notice was related to the construction of eight police stations across the province; including one in Kohistan.
The treasury benches emerged victorious with 36 votes against changing the location of a police station in Kohistan to 24 in favour. The police stations were to be constructed under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2014-15 and 2015-16, but Kohistan Superintendent Police Irshad Khan wanted to change the location of one.
The presiding officer asked Minister for Law Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi to respond to the question. The minister suggested the matter be referred to the standing committee and the matter was finally referred to the house after Asmatullah’s interruptions. The JUI-F MPA lost the vote.
Flaring tempers
An MPA who was on tenterhooks through the session was Shah Farman. Before the start of the session, he exchanged harsh words with fellow PTI member Zareen Zia. He continued while replying to Asmatullah’s call to attention to notice. “This is the K-P Assembly not a tableeghi markaz. “If a spot has been decided to construct a police station, it cannot be changed.”
After the session, Zia told journalists Farman misbehaved with her. “How can a man be good to the women of his area if he has no respect for fellow party MPAs. He has no manners,” an enraged Zia said outside the house.
The house passed a resolution moved by PML-N MPA Saleh Muhammad asking the provincial government to stop double fining the delay in renewing route permits of commercial vehicles. The house passed the resolution unanimously.
Shaukat Yousafzai chaired the K-P Assembly session for the first time. He is among the founding members of PTI and contested in the 1997, 2002 and 2013 elections from Shangla district on a PTI ticket. Yousafzai owns an Urdu newspaper.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2015.