FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC) Operations Manager Dawood Makki said on Saturday that the company was purchasing 16 compactors and mechanical sweepers to replace the manual sanitation system.

Addressing a meeting with Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) senior vice president Nadeem Allahwala, Makki said Rs143.75 million had been provided to the FWMC on December 22 for the equipment. Makki said 400 new dust bins would also be purchased. He said a cleanliness awareness drive would also be launched.

“The FWMC is distributing 400 handcarts in 113 union councils so waste can be collected and removed immediately,” he added. He said Faisalabad had a population of 8.3 million people who daily produced 0.5 kilogram waste per head. He said the FWMC was unable to collect all of the waste in the city because of limited lifting capacity.

“However, we are taking steps to move waste from heaps to open spaces away from the area,” he said.

He said the FWMC had cleaned 600 of 1,775 open plots in the city. Makki said the FWMC had set up a toll-free phone line – 1139. He said people could inform the company regarding waste heaps in the city through the number.

Responding to a question raised on cleanliness of Canal Road, Makki said mechanical sweepers allocated there had broken down some days ago.

He said it had been repaired and would resume cleaning the road. He said 16 waste workers would also be deputed to Canal Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

Waqas’s mother said she had sent him to the market with Rs50 to buy bread. She said he had gone to Muawiya’s house on his way to the market. The woman said the family had filed a complaint with Rescue 15 (police helpline) on Friday afternoon after Waqas had failed to return. She alleged that the police had tried to delay the registration of an FIR in this regard.

Civil Lines SHO Abid Rasheed told The Express Tribune that a complaint had been registered and he had visited the area to locate the missing children. He said they had chanced upon a boy’s shoes in the area that Waqas’s mother had recognised as being his. Rasheed said the bodies of the deceased were recovered from the drain following the development.

The families and friends of the deceased staged a protest demonstration on Saturday against the children’s death. They said they had reason to believe that the bodies had been thrown in the drain after the children had been molested and killed.

Operations DIG Haider Ashraf said that the children appeared to have died after falling in the drain after visiting the spot.

SHO Rasheed told The Express Tribune later in the evening that an autopsy report had confirmed that the children had died after falling in the drain.   

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

Najam Sethi, Hamid Mir, Abid Hassan Minto and SAFMA secretary general Imtiaz Alam were also present.

Alam said terrorism could only be eliminated from the society if steps were taken to change social attitudes.

For this, he said, the government and political parties would have to play an active role in sending their workers to cities and villages to propagate the message of peace.

“The question is, who will provide security to them,” he said.

“Our children are being taught extremist views in schools but no one has taken notice of the need for curriculum reform,” he said.

Responding to a question, he said he supported formation of military courts to try terrorism suspects.

“We must be wary of these courts being used for political ambitions,” he added.

Minto said a “comprehensive action plan” was needed compete with terrorism and extremism.

“Extremism has been embedded in our society for a generation,” he said. He said it was unfair to blame foreign conspiracies for internal failures.

He said there was a perception that terrorism was born in Pakistan when Russia occupied in Afghanistan.

He said when he had visited Afghanistan in 1979 the then Afghan president had urged the Pakistani government in a public speech to stop sending terrorists to Afghanistan.

Mir said that the all-parties conference after the Peshawar incident was convened to decide the scope of the military courts.  He said many politicians supported these courts despite the fact they had been accused of terrorism.

He said there must have been security lapses at Army Public School because terrorists had passed at least three check posts to reach there.

He said the first suicide bomb attack in Pakistan had occurred in 1995.

“At the time, America had not invaded Afghanistan,” he recalled.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

LAHORE: More than 10,000 police officials would protect the Eid Miladun Nabi procession on Sunday (today), Operations DIG Haider Ashraf said on Saturday.

“Two SPs, 16 DSPs and 30 SHOs will be on duty for the main procession that will start from Delhi Gate at 12 noon and end at Data Darbar at midnight,” Ashraf told The Express Tribune.

He said police had taken clerics and procession organisers on board while devising a security plan for the Eid. Walkthrough gates and metal detectors would be used to search participants of the processions.

The DIG said participants of processions and majalis would have to pass through three tiers of security. He requested citizens to cooperate with police to maintain order.

Police have carried out search operations across the city to arrest suspects, he said.

The Home Department had earlier issued a directive asking organisers to form teams of volunteers that could be deployed along police to protect the routes of processions.

Chief Traffic Officer Tayyab Hafeez Cheema said two SPs, seven DSPs, 20 inspectors and 410 traffic police officials would be on duty to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

LAHORE: The Punjab government spent Rs113.4 million on a publicity campaign during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) long-march and sit-in, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The funds were released by Finance Department during November 2014 as a supplementary grant, a document obtained by The Express Tribune revealed. The PTI had started its Azadi March on August 14 from Lahore. Imran Khan had criticised the federal and Punjab governments’ performance.

The Punjab government had run a publicity campaign to highlight its development projects. “To finance the publicity campaign, the Information Department moved six summaries to the chief minister, seeking Rs113.4 million. The summaries were approved by the chief minister during the second half of November. The Finance Department released the payments to the advertising agencies,” a Finance Department official, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune. Information Department Parliamentary Secretary Rana Muhammad Arshad said that funds had been used to promote a positive image of the government. “In future, the use of such funds will be rationalised,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) last week passed a resolution condemning the government’s plan to set up military courts. However, the legal fraternity did not convey any effective message to the government in this regard.

Although the LHCBA announced that it would arrange an All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention, it appears that it is trying to wash its hands of the issue.

The Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) also did not show any reservations.

However, former SCBA presidents Hamid Khan and Asma Jahangir expressed concerns over the plan. Khan, who is vice president of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, went beyond his party line and rejected the proposal as an unconstitutional move.

Execution stayed

A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench stayed last week the execution of a prisoner convicted for killing an army official.

The bench stayed Muhammad Faiz’s execution until January 5. It summoned the Faisalabad jail superintendent who had obtained Faiz’s death warrants.

The bench also asked an anti-terrorism court to explain why the warrants were issued while the appeal was pending before the Supreme Court.

The anti-terrorism court had awarded death penalty to Faiz in 2006 for killing Naek Tariq Mahmood in Nankana.

Anarkali fire

An LHC bench issued notices to the Lahore Development Authority and the Lahore DCO on a petition requesting action against those responsible for a fire at an Urdu Bazaar plaza, resulting in the death of 13 people.

Judicial Activism Panel chairman Azhar Siddique had filed the petition blaming the government for the deaths. He said the government had failed to implement the relevant building bylaws.

He said the government should explain why it had failed to put out the fire early.

Election tribunal

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court last week dismissed petitions by three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarians challenging decisions of an election tribunal.

The bench, headed by Justice Saqib Nisar, said the tribunal’s interim orders could not be challenged.

The petitioners had submitted that Election Tribunal consisting of Kazim Ali Malik had been issuing orders without listening to them. They said they had no confidence in the tribunal and his decisions should be declared illegal. They demanded that petitions challenging their election should be transferred to another tribunal.

MNA Malik Riaz, MPA Mohsin Latif and MPA Saiful Mulook had challenged the tribunal’s decision wherein it had ordered recounting and inspection of votes polled, on petitions by PTI candidates.

Riaz had challenged the LHC’s decision dismissing his petition he had filed in October 2014 against recounting of votes.

Riaz, elected MNA from NA 118, said that the election tribunal could not interfere in the matters of the Election Commission. In the 2013 elections, Malik had won the seat receiving 103,346 votes. The runner-up, Hamid Zaman from the PTI, had received 43,616 votes. On August 17, 2014, the tribunal had ordered inspection of 117 more bags of votes polled in the PP-147. PML-N’s Mohsin Latif had won in that constituency.

Earlier, six polling bags were examined in PP-147 on the election tribunal’s directive, revealing a difference of 1,000 votes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

LAHORE: The Government College University, Lahore will commercialise a nano-fertiliser, developed by its researchers, that produces healthy food by conserving nutrients and significantly increases the crop yield, said Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khaleequr Rahman on Saturday.

Talking to reporters, Rahman said that the United States Patent and Trademark Office had issued a patent letter for the nano-leucite fertiliser. “Now the university’s Directorate of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation has been tasked with setting up contacts with noted national and international fertiliser companies for the future collaboration,” he said.

Rahman said there was a dire need that ingenuous innovations and inventions be transformed into commercial technology. “Such innovative products can help Pakistan develop and emerge on the world map as prosperous nation,” he said. He said that there were a number of economic and health benefits of using the fertiliser.

He said that the fertiliser was developed by a group of scientists, led by Dr Muhammad Akhyar Farrukh, an associate professor of chemistry at the university. The vice chancellor said that keeping in view the global food crisis, it was necessary to increase food production. “Traditional fertilisers have a major disadvantage. At least 50 per cent of nutrient contents is lost due to leaching. They also increase groundwater contamination. Nano-leucite fertiliser is a specialised slow-release nitrogenous fertiliser. It has a minimum nutrient loss due to leaching,” he said.

He said that GCU was playing its role in developing science and technology in the country.

“Two more patents of GCU scientists are under process with the US Patent Office. All universities in Pakistan need to work as incubators of inventions and innovation. The industry needs to transform these inventions and innovations into technology for economic prosperity,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

She had been asked to comment on an exercise by some guides to offer access to the locked or cordoned off areas to visitors they accompany.

There have been other complaints against the guides as well. Some of them narrate false stories, including some about Mughal era artifacts stowed away at the fort.

The price for the unauthorised adventures depends on the haggling capabilities of visitors.

“We will replace the locks with more secure ones. The keys will not be easy to replicate,” Qureshi told The Express Tribune.

She said the WCLA, which has recently been given the administrative control of the fort, also planned to recruit its own guides. “We have had meetings with guides from the Archeology Department and plan to train them the way we have trained our guides.”

There are various reasons for barring access to some of the fort’s areas. Some places at the fort, including the Sheesh Mahal, have undergone so much damage over the years that they cannot withstand more visitors. Others have been locked for security reasons.

“There is no light in some of the places. Some are being used as store rooms by the department,” said Afzal Khan, the Archeology Department Deputy Director.

He said that it had been learnt that some of the guides at the fort had made duplicate keys apparently with the connivance of the fort employees.

Some of the guides The Express Tribune spoke to said they had earlier been on the fort staff.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

The chief minister’s secretariat consists of 7-Club Road, on 8-Club Road in GOR-I and Banquet Hall at 90 The Mall.

A circular, whose copy is available with The Express Tribune, has been issued by the CM secretariat, barring ministers from convening meetings for official business at CM’s Secretariat.

Requesting anonymity, a secretariat official said: “After the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) protest campaign gained momentum, the ministers had started convening official meetings at the CM’s secretariat. It was meant to give the impression that the CM was busy. This was also meant to be a signal to the secretaries that the CM was monitoring them,” the official said.

“Now that the political situation has improved, the secretariat has directed the ministers not to convene meetings at premises. Any meeting will only be allowed if it is confirmed by the CM’s personal staff officer under intimation to the secretary to CM,” he said.

“Only the chief minister and MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif will hold official business meetings in secretariat,” the official said.

“The decision has been taken as an austerity measure. The government also wants to avoid large gatherings at the CM’s office due to security concerns,” the official said.

Requesting anonymity, a provincial minister, told The Express Tribune that the decision was meant to keep the ministers away from the CM. “Whenever ministers get a chance to meet the CM, they start complaining to him. The decision is a signal to them (ministers) to take interest in their respective departments rather than the secretariat,” he said.

Rafiullah, the public relations officer to chief minister, told The Express Tribune that he was unaware of any such directions. “Ministers are holding routine meetings at the CM’s Secretariat,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

He was speaking at a meeting with Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. Progress on development projects and the political situation in the nation were reviewed in the meeting.

The chief minister said the expression of confidence in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by the national leadership regarding the need to rid the nation of terrorism was auspicious. He said the unanimous decision taken at the recent all-parties conference (APC) regarding the war on terrorism was a landmark in national history.

“Extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary measures,” Sharif said. The chief minister said the crucial decisions taken at the APC constituted a watershed in the war against terrorism. He said the unanimous decisions had been taken to bequeath following generations with a secure and peaceful Pakistan. Sharif said the time was ripe to implement the National Action Plan. He said terrorists would be held accountable for their misdeeds.

The chief minister said there was no place in the national fold for anti-state elements. He said the unprecedented Peshawar carnage had saddened the entire nation. Sharif said the time was ripe to rid the nation of the menace of terrorism. He said the nation was united in this regard.

The chief minister said the scourge of terrorism would be eradicated with national unity and Pakistan would be transformed into a citadel of peace. Sharif said the religious, political and military leadership were determined to eradicate terrorism. He said it was time to take decisive action against terrorists and the entire nation was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the law enforcement agencies in this regard.

Sharif said officials from the military, the law enforcement agencies and the police had rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

He said 40,000 Pakistanis had been martyred in the war on terrorism. The chief minister said this was unprecedented.

He said the time was ripe to rid the nation of the scourge of terrorism as the entire nation was on the same page regarding the need to eradicate the menace from Pakistan. Sharif said the nation would emerge victorious from the war on terrorism at all costs.

Governor Sarwar welcomed the national leadership’s consensus regarding the National Action Plan. He said the government had taken formulated the national action plan in accordance with citizens’ expectations.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

Hours earlier, the family of the five-year-old victim protested in Green Town with the body but dispersed peacefully after Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Amin Wains assured them that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

None of the seven suspects rounded up in connection with the macabre murder have been released yet, according to Wains.

The child was buried after the funeral prayers on Saturday in which a large number of people including police officers participated.

“The prayer caller [at the mosque] is a prime suspect because the body was recovered from his locked room on the rooftop of the mosque,” said Wains.  Police is now waiting for the forensic report of the suspects.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, SP Saddar Ijaz Shafi Dogar said that seven suspects are in their custody including the son of the prayer leader of the mosque and the brother of the prayer caller.”  He voice hope that they will solve the cases within three days with the help of the forensic test that could be carried out ahead of the holidays.

Earlier, the Punjab chief minister took notice of the incident late Friday and asked CCPO to ensure that the culprits are arrested and the family is delivered justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.

FAISALABAD: Twin newborn babies left in the field in Faisalabad on Sunday expired due to the severe cold.

The bodies of the infants were spotted in the field near Toll Plaza at Sheikhupura Road by the passing by farmers.

“I received a telephone call informing me of the dead bodies of two newborns lying in the fields near Toll Plaza Sheikhupura Road, Mali Kabaria,” said the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Millat Town police station Muhammad Afzal. “I took the bodies into the custody and a case vide FIR No.2/15 has been registered against an unknown female under section 329 of Pakistan Code (PPC)”.

SHO revealed told that “both infants were twin.”

Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Shahid Ali, who has been assigned the case, told The Express Tribune that “The police did not conduct postmortem of both ill-fated newborns and buried them in the local graveyard with the help of the villagers.”

Responding to a question, the investigation officer said that both newborns were premature due to which they could not survive the severe weather. “However, we are investigating the case and the real culprits responsible for the death of the infants would be arrested shortly,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: Athar Yaad Ali, a resident of Lahore, took a leap of faith and jumped behind the wheel of a speeding lorry on the motorway to stop the driver-less vehicle from causing any accidents.

Ali was travelling from Islamabad to Lahore on the motorway with his wife and two children when they noticed a lorry behind them near the Salt Range, Express News reported. However, there was no driver in sight.

In an exclusive interview with the The Express News, Athar said, ”My youngest son saw the driver jump from the lorry, followed by the man in the passenger seat.”

The lorry lost control after the driver jumped from the vehicle and swayed left to right as it approached the slope.

“It didn’t stop and I realised that I had to do something to stop it” Ali explained, adding that his family did not approve of him trying to stop the heavy vehicle.

As he entered the lorry from the passenger side, he managed to take control of the steering wheel but realised that the brakes had failed.

Ali went on to say, “I knew that I could make it, even though the vehicle didn’t stop for a further two kilometres. The police had arrived and were guiding other cars away from the vehicle.

His wife recalled how scary the incident was for her as nothing she could say would stop her husband from taking the daring step.

“In such incidents, Athar is always the first to want to help. My words were still in my mouth when he had already got out of our car and proceeded towards the lorry,” she said.

She went on to express her fear saying that “there were cars on the motorway and he was running in the middle of the road.”

“I was helpless and very scared. When I saw the lorry go down the slope, I thought I had lost my dad,” Ali’s eldest son Arsh said, adding that when he saw his dad he wanted to hug him forever.

Ali managed to bring the lorry to a complete halt with zero casualties.

Watch the exclusive interview below:

MULTAN: Police claim to have killed three alleged members of the notorious ‘Chotu gang’ in Muzaffargarh police on Monday.  

Four police officials including Aslam, Saeed, Asif and Obaidullah were critically injured as gang members fought with police for almost an hour, officials said.

The injured officials were shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital in Muzaffargarh for treatment.

The encounter occurred in Jatoi late on Monday at night when the criminals tried to escape.

“We were following them for last three to four months but they were able to escape. Last night we surrounded them,” SSP Rai Zameerul Haq said while talking to The Express Tribune.

Doctors at the hospital told The Express Tribune that all of four police officials are now out of danger but Saeed is still under observation and will remain for next 48 hours due to his sensitive condition owing to excessive bleeding from his wounds.

The gang members were wanted in 16 cases of kidnapping for ransom, attacking and kidnapping of nine police constables in district Rajanpur and killing one official.

They were also accuse of kidnapped former executive district health officer of Dera Ghazi Khan Mushtaq Rasool for ransom.

FAISALABAD: In an incident of extreme callousness and disrespect for human life, premature twins were left to die in the freezing cold in suburban Faisalabad on Sunday.

Passersby spotted the unclaimed lifeless bodies of the twins, wrapped in a blanket, in the fields near Toll Tax Plaza on Sheikhupura Road and reported it to the police.

“A caller informed us about the bodies of two newborns lying in the fields near Toll Tax Plaza,” SHO Millat Town police station Muhammad Afzal told The Express Tribune. “I rushed to the spot, took the bodies into custody and registered a case under Section 329 of the Pakistan Penal Code,” he added.

SHO Afzal speculated that the twins might have been illegitimate and their mother might have abandoned them to ‘conceal her crime’. ASI Shahid Ali, the investigation officer of the case, told The Express Tribune that they did not perform autopsies on the bodies and buried them in the local graveyard with the help of villagers.

“The twins were prematurely born and could not survive in the cold,” Ali said, adding that investigations were ongoing and they would soon trace those who abandoned the newborns to die in the cold.

Human rights campaigner Amina Zaman said, “The government should launch a nationwide campaign for the protection of abandoned babies who are often thrown callously in the fields, ditches and garbage pits etc, alive or dead.”

Renowned social scientist Dr Zafar Iqbal called for setting up cradles at various locations where women could leave their unwanted newborns anonymously. The Edhi Foundation has already set up such ‘baby cradles’ at a few locations in the city. “Last year, we received 11 newborns – five males and six females – in these cradles in Faisalabad alone,” Abid Lateef Kamboh, the Edhi Circle in charge, told The Express Tribune. “Of these, two were born prematurely and died in the cradles.”

Executive Director Association of the Women for Awareness and Motivation Nazia Sardar advised people to leave their unwanted babies in Edhi cradles instead of throwing them in the fields or on garbage heaps. “Issueless couples could adopt them and bring them up,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2015.

The judge issued the order while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Azhar Javed, also of the FBR. He sought the recovery of 13 FBR employees and members of the Federal Revenue Alliance who had been arrested by Mozang police at a demonstration on December 24.

Javed said those arrested had been offering prayers for the children killed in the December 16 terror attack at a school in Peshawar. He said Mozang police took the protesters into custody and put them in the Old Anarkali lockup. He said he tried to get the workers released but the police threatened to implicate them in fake cases and kill them in a “police encounter”.

After that, Old Anarkali police also registered a case regarding the same incident.

Counsel for the suspects said the matter was not of a sensitive nature, yet the police had registered two cases against the FBR workers. He said this was sheer violation of procedure and an attempt to implicate his clients in a fake case.

The judge directed the Investigation SSP to look into the matter. He said the detention of the people appeared to be based on malafide intent. The judge ordered their release and directed the SSP to take departmental action against the policemen found guilty in this case.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2014.

He urged the government to reconsider the amendments. “Terrorism fuels foreign agenda against religious seminaries in Pakistan… they [the seminaries] have never been involved in any terrorist activity,” he said.

Jalandhari said the amendments had been proposed without a national consensus and warned that it would not bode well for the law and order situation in the country. “The situation will deteriorate and no religious leader will take responsibility for it.”

He said the country had been plunged into darkness by ineffective governance and bad policies. The government should have taken all stakeholders into confidence when formulating a strategy to fight terrorism, he said. “Do not blame religion for sparking or promoting terrorism in Pakistan… blame the state for its bad governance and failures in addressing the grievances of people.”

The general secretary said all religious seminaries in the country supported Maulana Fazulur Rehman’s stance on the matter and would stand by him. “Terrorists must be considered a curse and be dealt with without consideration of creed, sect, religion, faith or nationality.”

Jalandhari said if any religious scholar or seminary was hurt by the new constitutional amendment, the federation of Pakistan will be responsible for the violent reaction to it. He said the government had rushed the 21st Amendment without considering stakeholders’ views on it. “Religious scholars are the real protectors of the ideology of Pakistan… they should have been consulted on this,” Jalandhari said.

Earlier, Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called on Jalandhari and discussed his grievances on the matter. He said no religious seminary would be needlessly targeted in the operation against terrorists.

He also invited Jalandhari to Islamabad to speak on the amendment and discuss it with religious scholars and leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2014.

LAHORE: A youth caucus was launched at the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday, with its members vowing to work towards youth empowerment.

Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, the minister for education and youth affairs, and members of the caucus addressed a press conference on Tuesday.

“We have been planning the caucus for two years. When we formulated the Youth Policy in 2010, we felt the absence of an active youth caucus,” he said.

Khan said that the caucus had been formed through an election. “The caucus’ executive committee consists of 11 members. They have been elected by members of the Punjab Assembly. All of them are below the ages of 45. Ehsan Riaz Fatyana, the youngest member of the Punjab Assembly, is also on the executive committee,” he said. He said that the caucus transcended party affiliations.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Khan said that initially the caucus would work towards forming an inter-provincial network with other young members from the legislatives of other provinces. “The caucus will also work towards forming a network with youth caucuses in other countries,” he said.

“The credit for the formation of the caucus goes to the young parliamentarians for coming together to work towards the welfare of young people,” he said.

Sardar Vickas Hassan Mokal from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) is the chairman of the caucus. Mary Gill from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is its vice chairperson, Mian Irfan Daultana of the PML-N is the secretary and Nabela Hakim Ali Khan from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is the treasurer.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Mokal said that the main agenda of the caucus was to work on youth empowerment. “The main areas where we want to focus for now are youth employment, providing students with career counselling and consulting women and minorities,” he said.

The project is being technically and financially assisted by Bargad in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Heinrich Boll Foundation. “We will continue to work with the caucus, providing them with meeting briefs to help understand issues,” said Sabiha Shaheen, the Bargad executive director.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2014.

This was revealed during a discussion on the report Education Sector Procurements in Punjab: A Horizontal Accountability Perspective. The event was organised by the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (ISAPS) on Tuesday.

Ahmed Ali, a research fellow at ISAPS, said that during the financial year 2013-2014, school councils were allocated a budget of Rs5 billion. “Of this Rs3.5 billion was allocated for nine districts under the Punjab Education Sector Reform Programme. Rs1.5 billion was allocated for the remaining 27 districts. In the current year, the reform programme was further expanded to 18 districts,” he said.

“Despite the extensive allocations, there is a lack of appropriate training of members of these councils. Data from ISPAS indicates that in the areas of procurement, school improvement plans, civil works and construction, the training of members of the council, including chairperson, co-chairperson, parent and general members reflected poor trends. More than 45 per cent of the members did not receive any training in the areas,” he said.

Ali said that understanding of procurement process and information disclosure stood out as the major issues plaguing the working of school councils. “There is an urgent need for such departments to work on information disclosure to allow people to get details on the projects and their working,” he added.

Ali also said that a greater involvement of citizens was needed in such school councils. “Schools councils are primarily controlled by heads of the educational institutions, not the citizens – this needs to be set right,” he said.

“A major chunk of development was directed towards procurement of services and books, adding that effective use of money was necessary in this regard. In 2013-14, the allocation in this regard went up to Rs15 billion. Making governments responsible, transparent and accountable is the bigger challenge,” he said. For the year 2013-14, he said, the education sector procurement cost went up to Rs6 billion for school civil works, Rs3.4 billion for free textbooks and Rs5 billion for school council purchases.

MPA Saadia Sohail said that there was a need to change the prevalent concept that education was a business.

Sohail said too often the right person was not assigned the job. She stressed the need to strengthen government systems to deliver and be accountable to the public.

MPA Shunila Ruth said there was no room to make mistakes in the education system. There should be one education system in Pakistan, she said.

“The main issue is not funding, but quality,” said Abbas Rashid, the Society for Advancement of Education (SAHE) executive director. He said that from basic facilities, quality of books and grade and age appropriateness of textbooks was vital for quality education. “Trained and qualified teachers are an integral requirement of quality education,” he said.

Standing Committee on Education chairman Qamarul Islam Raja said that there were several shortcomings in the procurement practices, but the actual problem was flawed management. “

In the procurement procedures and rules, there is a need to abide by the Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) guidelines,” he said. He also defended the committee and its performance regarding making sound and valid arguments relating to legislations. “We have played a proactive role, standing up when it was required for the issue at hand,” he said.

Raja said that certain clauses of the Punjab Higher Education Commission Bill were also removed from the draft proposed by the committee. “Our problem is essentially not one of laws, but one of management,” he said.

He said a committee was being constituted to further strengthen the role and effectiveness of standing committees.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2014.

FAISALABAD: Two newborns died at Sargodha District Teachings Headquarters Hospital on Tuesday. Eighty-one children have died at the hospital in 49 days.

Over the past two years, 2,241 infants have died at the hospital, some owing to alleged negligence of hospital staff and some due to lack of oxygen, incubators or intensive care.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Medical Superintendent Dr Pervaiz Haidar said that the hospital faced staff and equipment shortage.

“Due to overcrowding, the hospital administration is facing severe problems. Complicated cases from private hospitals and clinics are also referred to the hospital at the last minute. This raises the mortality count,” Haidar said.

He said that the hospital administration had devised a comprehensive strategy to deal with the high infant mortality at the hospital.

“We will launch a campaign to create awareness among people living in rural areas to bring pregnant women to the DHQ hospital, instead of relying on private clinics and untrained midwives,” he said.

In November, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken notice of the deaths of infants at the hospital. He formed a high-level committee to investigate the matter. The government removed the then MS Dr Iqbal Sami from his post. However, no other step was taken.

The hospital serves patients from Mianwali, Bhakkar, Khushab and Mandi Bahauddin districts.

The nursery of the DHQ hospital has 25 beds and five incubators and is almost always overcrowded.

The nursery is located a kilometre away from the main building.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2014.