Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly

PESHAWAR: Minister for Education Sardar Hussain Babak and Minister for Health Syed Zahir Ali Shah claimed Wednesday that crisis in their respective departments would end in two months if the elected representatives stopped interfering in postings and transfers of the employees. Responding to the points of order raised by the legislators during the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, both linked improved performance of their departments to complete cooperation from the lawmakers. Earlier, the members severely criticised the performance of the education and health departments. However, none of them came forward when the ministers sought suggestions for better performance of their departments. Sardar Hussain Babak said those sitting in assemblies had enrolled their children in private schools but all were interfering in government’s schools functioning. He asked the members to pinpoint any particular case of corruption so that action could be initiated. Zahir Shah admitted shortage of doctors but said there was no truth in the report that the people were keeping animals in Basic Health Units (BHUs) in the far-flung areas. The minister suggested to the chair to form a special committee to visit these areas to know the truth. The lawmakers from Hazara including Javed Abbasi, Aurangzeb Nalotha and Inayatullah Jadoon had claimed 11 BHUs in their constituencies were closed while the rest were under-staffed. The local people keep animals in those BHUs, they claimed. Speaker Kiramatullah Khan said the BHU in his village near Peshawar had no doctor while the doctor in one of the RHCs was deaf. He said he had already constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Abdul Akbar Khan with Sikandar Sherpao and Saqib Chamkani as members for the solution of the problems in both the education and health departments. Abdul Akbar and Sikandar Sherpao said they would present their report in the coming session. Pervez Khan from Nowshera supported PPP’s Zamin Khan’s assertion about rampant corruption and irregularities in education department. He alleged the officers were minting money by making postings and transfers. “Even Class IV appointments were being made after receiving Rs100,000 as a bribe,” he claimed and added he had apprised the ministers and the chief minister about the practice but in vain. The speaker referred the privilege motions of Waqar Ahmad Khan, Saqib Chamkani and senior minister Bashir Bilour to the concerned committee. Waqar Ahmad had complained against the PIA station manager and FIA inspector for stopping his flight to Abu Dubai without any reason. Saqib Chamkani, who is chairman of standing committee, had complained his directives were not honoured by various departments. Bashir Bilour had said daily Shamal had breached his privilege by carrying news against him.