F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: The Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has said that since the change of government at center, the provincial government has been facing serious problems with regard to release of funds and other matters related to the federal government. “ Developmental funds to the tune to Rs. 17 billion for Newly Merged Districts have been withheld by the federal government” he regretted and added that efforts were also underway to exclude development projects of the province from federal PSDP and It is feared that the provincial government will have to face problems regarding gas in coming days. Mahmood Khan made it clear that he had taken the oath to safeguard the rights of the province; and as chief executive of the province, he will make no compromise on the rights of the province and go to any extant for the purpose.
He expressed these views while addressing the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected cabinet of District Bar Association Peshawar on Wednesday. The chief minister said that the province belonged to everyone living here, whatever political party we belong to; we all must have to unite for the rights of the province. He urged upon lawyer community to come forward and support the provincial government in its legal and constitutional struggle to protect the rights of the province. He termed the lawyer community as an important segment of the society and said that lawyer community had played an important role in the struggle for democracy and independence of judiciary in the country and hoped that they will also play their effective role in the struggle for real independence of the country.
Touching upon the initiatives of his government in the sector of law & justice, the chief minister said that work on 28 different development projects was in progress in the province which would be completed at a cumulative cost of Rs. 14 billion. He said that the provincial government was also establishing seven districts judicial complexes and 25 tehsils judicial complexes in merged areas which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs. 14 billion. On this occasion, the chief minister has announced especial grant of Rs. 40 million for District Bar Association Peshawar and assured that the projects regarding provision of various facilities to lawyers in judicial complex Peshawar would also be reflected in the budget of next financial year.
Earlier, the chief minister formally administered oath to the newly elected cabinet of District Bar Association Peshawar. Newly elected presented of Bar Association Ali Zaman Advocate welcomed the chief minister and informed him about the issues of lawyer community. Special Assistant to Chief Minister Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Members Provincial Assembly Asif Khan, Peer Fida Muhammad, Fazal Elahi and other were also present on the occasion.
Earlier, talking to media representatives during his visit to Khyber Teaching Hospital, the chief minister said that imported Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in his speech in Shangla the other day talked about the provision of free treatment facilities to the people of the province. He lamented the ignorance of the Prime Minister and said that the provincial government had already been providing free treatment facilities to the cent percent population of the province for the last two years. He further stated that the provincial government was also providing flour to its people on subsidized rate of Rs. 800 per 20 kg under Ramadan package adding the provincial government has decided to extend this package up to 30th June 2022.
Responding to a question, the chief minister sarcastically said that if Shahbaz Sharif returns the looted money to the national exchequer, he will not have to sell his clothes for providing flour to the masses.
Responding to another question, the chief minister has termed the statement of Shahbaz Sharif regarding flour smuggling across the border as completely baseless and said that if there was anything then Shahbaz Sharif should have to ask his own institutions instead of blaming the provincial government because all the institutions having the control of border were under federal government. “These people were calling the people of this province as smuggler” Mahmood Khan expressed his concerns and made it clear to them that people of this province were not smugglers but the guards of border adding that we have rendered many sacrifices for the country.
Responding to yet another question regarding flour price hike in the province, Mahmood Khan said that due to ban on the supply of wheat and flour from Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, flour prices have gone up. He asked the people to stay satisfied, the province have the sufficient stock of wheat and there was no fear to have shortage of wheat flour in the province.
Earlier, Chief Minister inaugurated newly established 20 Modular Operation Theaters at Khyber Teaching Hospital. These state of the art modular operation theaters have been established at the cost of Rs. 350 million and thus the Khyber Teaching Hospital have become the first ever hospital of the province having the modular operation theaters.
Talking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that strengthening health sector was one of the top priorities of PTI government since the day first and the provincial government was taking steps under well devised and comprehensive strategy to this effect.
“Establishment of modular operation theaters in KTH was also a part of this whole struggle which will help to enhance the efficiency and service delivery system of the hospital” he remarked and lauded the role of hospital management for establishing first modular operation theater and other steps taken to improve the overall service delivery in the hospital.
