Special police force to secure Parachinar Road

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Monday decided to deploy a special police force of 399 personnel to secure the Parachinar Road.The 19th meeting of the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, took a number of other decisions as well.

The cabinet was briefed about the situation in the Kurram district and the steps the government was taking to restore durable peace, provide essential commodities, and transport patients, elderly people, and students.

It was informed that several jirgas had been organised, humanitarian measures included delivery of medicines via helicopter, subsidised wheat supplies, and compensation for affected families.

Helicopter services have been initiated to address transportation challenges, transporting 220 people in the last two days. It was also decided to establish temporary posts initially, with plans for permanent ones in the future.

A new FIA cell will monitor and block social media accounts spreading communal hatred.Illegal weapons were to be surrendered by February 1, 2025 and all unauthorised tranches would be demolished.

The chief minister said the conflict in Kurram was a local dispute, not terrorism. He said certain elements were fueling unrest through false narratives and communal hatred.He said the government remains committed to resolving the issue peacefully through dialogue while ensuring the safety of residents.

The cabinet approved the release of wheat at a subsidized rate.It granted ex-post facto approval to the declaration of emergency in district Kurram under the National Disaster Management (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Act, 2019. This is already in place.

The cabinet approved the construction of the 365-kilometer Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway through a public-private partnership and directed the Finance Department to arrange funds for the land acquisition of the project.As a Christmas gift, the cabinet approved Rs.40 million for around 80 Churches of KP to be released by Monday. The cabinet approved Rs. 300 million in funds for the Medical and Dental College at Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology Haripur in two tranches with Rs.150 million this financial year and Rs 150 million next financial year.

It approved the allocation and release of recurring grant for disbursement amongst the public sector universities for payment of regular pensions and their liability and salaries.The cabinet granted one step up-gradation to all the employees of the defunct FATA Development Corporation as per the recommendations of the Committee constituted for looking into their grievances and the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The cabinet approved forwarding Resolution No. 118 adopted by the KP Assembly to the federal government.The assembly had recommended to the KP government to ask the federal government to order the Islamabad police to end the alleged harassment of Pakhtuns doing business in Islamabad.

The cabinet okayed the amendments to rule 12 (2) of the KP Civil Servants (Appointments, Promotion & Transfer) Rules 1989. As per the amendments posts in BS-3-15 of the district cadre should be filled only by domicile holders of the district concerned.

Relaxing the ban, the Cabinet allowed the creation of 221 posts of various categories in the Health Department. To make the establishment of Girls’ Cadet College DI Khan functional, the cabinet approved the extension of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Education & Training Institutions Ordinance 1971 to the Girls Cadet College DI Khan and also approved a grant of Rs 300 million for it.

The cabinet approved the allocation and release of Rs. 3.5 million grant-in-aid for financial year 2024-25 for China Window at Peshawar. It was okayed for partnering with Bank of Khyber, Peshawar in respect of ADP 2024-25 Project 1646-240152 “Development of Community Based Accommodation for Facilitating Tourists”.The cabinet approved the establishment of Water & Sanitation Services Company, Haripur along with the provision of funds to the tune of Rs 250 million.