Dying on the front line of the polio war

SHABQADAR: Jahanzeb Khan sits at a doctor’s clinic in Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospital, Shabqadar in Charsadda, collecting files from patients at the outpatient department before assigning them a waiting number.

He wasn’t always in health services; he used to be a farmer before his wife was killed.

Zakia, a lady health supervisor, was gunned down along with her cousin Ayaz Khan, a driver for the national polio programme, on December 19, 2012 by militants. In fact, Zakia was one of eight who died in a string of attacks on polio workers from December 18 to December 19, 2012.

Since Zakia was not technically a government employee—neither was Ayaz—their families only received Rs300,000 each; the compensation paid to heirs of victims slain in a terrorism-related incident.

A shocking memory

Post by Mujib Ur Rahman.

Four killed, dozens injured as KP braves floods

CHARSADDA/PESHAWAR/GILGIT/NOSHEHRA - At least four people, including two children, were killed and more than three dozen others were injured in separate rain-related incidents in various areas of Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.
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Strong wind and heavy rain killed five-year-old Raheela and eight-year-old Mahnoor while 35 others were injured in separate incidents in various areas of Charsadda district.

In Geedarrwan area of Hangu, the roof of a dilapidated house caved in resulting in the deaths of two people, including a minor and left three others injured.

Meanwhile, strong wind blew off roofs of various houses, cattle sheds and uprooted trees due to which five people were injured besides massive property losses.
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The rain and wind gusts also disrupted the power supply and communication links creating difficulties for the dwellers.

Flooding rainwater also washed away lands and some houses situated near the banks.

According to reports, people living near the river banks have started shifting to safer areas over the fear of looming flood.

Around 400 families have been affected due to floods in Jala Bela‚ Bela Niko Khan‚ Mian Gujar and Islamabad Korona villages in Peshawar district.

Standing crops in the area have also been damaged due to flood in Shah Alam and NagumanRivers.

Protective dykes are being strengthened to protect these villages from further flood devastation.

According to Peshawar Flood Cell‚ River Kabul at Warsak and Nowshera is in high flood. PanjkoraRiver at Dir‚ ShahAlamRiver at Takhtabad and NagumanRiver at Charsadda Road are in medium flood whereas SwatRiver at Khawazakhela and Amandara is in low flood. IndusRiver at Tarbela is also in low flood.

Protective dykes at Jamat‚ Dalazak and Garhi Mohkam Shah villages in Charsadda district are being strengthened which were damaged due to diversion of River Kabul.

A part of the road near Kalam has been washed away by the floods due to which traffic to Kalam Bazaar has been suspended. Efforts are underway to restore it.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak has directed the authorities to be ready for any kind of eventuality.
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KP Senior Minister Sikandar Sherpao also visited various areas in Charsadda and directed the local administration to take immediate preventive steps in the wake of possible floods.

Meanwhile, flashfloods in Kargah Nullah have played havoc in several areas of Gilgit, completely destroying over two dozen houses, water channels and the main avenue. Acres of agricultural land have also been completely submerged.

The army has started relief activities and has undertaken construction work on Gilgit-Gadar linked bridge.


Source

ECP decision enables KP govt to re-appropriate Rs6b funds

 

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notification allowing the diversion of development funds paved the way for the Khyber Pakhtun-khwa government to go with the re-appropriation of funds amounting to Rs6 billion.
The sources told The News on Friday that even before the lifting of ban by the ECP, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had re-appropriated Rs275 million from the much-wanted Northern Bypass Road (Charsadda Road to Karkhano-Hayatabad) project to the Ring Road Project.

The ECP on January 22 issued directives to the provincial government to abstain from diversion of development funds till election as the same could be used as manipulating tools in the constituencies of some influential people in the outgoing government. However, it lifted the ban on the diversion of funds on May 16 with which the huge diversion of funds has started in the province.

While the re-appropriation of funds to development projects particularly those being funded from non-ADP portfolio or new projects was simply out of question, but the provincial government diverted funds form Northern Bypass Project to the Ring Road project.

And funds have also been re-appropriated to some closed projects under the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), giving a fig to the directives of the ECP and the mandate of the caretakers, the sources added.

Besides this diversion, a huge re-appropriation of about Rs6 billion funds is also under way and the next government should take note of it. An official in the Communication and Works (C&W) Department on condition of anonymity said the re-appropriation was for the officers who are efficient in outreach and experts in utilizing an unimaginable amount of funds in the month of June. It is now commonly known as Junism in Finance Department and the media circles, he said and added that the C&W people could swallow Rs10 billion till June 30.

The official claimed that the commission in development projects had now touched 46 percent while the contractors would also make their bucks which would not be included in the commission mentioned above.

There is a panic-like situation in the Planning and Finance Department (P&D), and the money is being dolled-out so that the uplift funds could be “utilized” before the new government takes over in the province.

Referring to the Finance Department (also posted on the official website of the department), the official said that the utilization of development funds is not more than 45 percent over the last ten and half months and the government department are striving to consume the remaining 55 to 60 percent funds in one month time which is absolutely impossible.

He said that it was an open secret now that billions of rupees are drawn in advance in June and no one in the government either questions it or offers any remedy for the same because everyone gets benefited form it one way or the other.

Another officer in the Planning Department, who also requested not to be named, said that it was also the failure of the P&D Department that was doing everything, but except planning. He added that due to the low capacity and ill-planning 50 percent re-appropriation of original budget takes place in the last month of every fiscal year.

He did not rule out the possibility of manipulation in the re-appropriation process and termed the same a big challenge for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf coalition in the province.The official said the new government should also launch some kind reforms to fight the menace of the underutilization of funds that lead to re-appropriation and ultimately becomes a source of mega corruption.

Riaz Khan DaudzaiSaturday, May 18, 2013
From Print Edition

The News International

Illegal possession of Charsadda Press Club Journalists threaten to stage sit-in

Muflis Durrani
CHARSADDA: Muhammadzai Union of Journalists, Gandhera Union of Journalists and Charsadda Union of Journalists on Monday gave the deadline of 24 hours to concerned authorities to end unconstitutional office bearers and illegal possession of the press club otherwise they would stage a sit-in at Peshawar High Court and Chief Minister House.
The protest rally staged sit-in outside the office of Charsadda Deputy Commissioner Syed Zafar Ali Shah.
Traders, lawyers, students, civil society, social workers, JI PK-18 contestant Major Akbar Khan, PML-N Safiyat Ullah, PTI Abid Khan, ANP Ayaz Khattak, Muhammad Iqbal Khan, QWP Farman Ullah, Wapda Union Chairman Ikram Ullah and other officer bearers of Wapda were present in the protest rally.
Senior journalist Haji Saddique Ullah said that for last six months Charsadda Press Club was possessed by unconcerned people and no journalistic activities were conducted there.

Source

History: Doctor Khan Sahib not Doctor Khan Sayd or Syed



Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (Doctor Khan Sahib)

The name of a historical person is misspelled by the locals of Utmanzai, Charsadda KPK.

They knows that historical person by the name of Doctor Khan Sayd which is misspelled of Doctor Khan Sahib. In Punjab and in some other parts of Pakistan the Pathans are calling by the name of  Khan Sahib, so here this historical person also known by the name Doctor Khan Sahib. That historical personality was Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (born 1882 – May 9, 1958) popularly known as Dr. Khan Sahib. He was a pioneer in the Indian Independence Movement and a Pakistani politician. Here are some informations about him. Read about that historical personality and also share with your friends.

Early Life

He was born in the village of Utmanzai, near Charsadda in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. His father, Bahram Khan was a local landlord.

Khan Sahib was eight years older than his brother, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Badshah Khan).

 After matriculating from the Edwardes Mission High School in Peshawar, Khan Sahib studied at Grant Medical College, Bombay (present day Mumbai). He subsequently completed his training from St Thomas' Hospital in London. During the First World War he served in France and after the war, he joined the Indian Medical Services and was posted in Mardan with the Guides regiment. He resigned his commission in 1921, after refusing to be posted in Waziristan, where the British Indian Army was launching operations against fellow Pakhtuns.

Contribution to the Indian independence movement

In 1935, Khan Sahib was elected alongside Peer Shahenshah of Jungle Khel Kohat as representatives of the North-West Frontier Province to the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi.

 With the grant of limited self-government and announcement of provincial elections in 1937, Dr. Khan Sahib led his party to a comprehensive victory. The Frontier National Congress, an affiliate of the Indian National Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Provincial Assembly.

 Politics in Pakistan 1947 – 1954

 At the time of independence, he was the chief minister. Later he was jailed by Abdul Qayyum Khan's government. After Qayyum Khan's appointment to the Central government and the personal efforts of the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at the time, Sardar Bahadur Khan, he along with his brother and many other activists were released.

Back in government

He joined the Central Cabinet of Muhammad Ali Bogra as Minister for Communications in 1954. This decision to join the government led to his split with his brother.

 In October 1955, he became the first Chief Minister of West Pakistan following the amalgamation of the provinces and princely states under the One Unit scheme. After differences with the ruling Muslim League over the issue of Joint versus Separate Electorates, he created the Republican Party.

 He resigned in March 1957 after the provincial budget was rejected by the assembly.

 In June, he was elected to the National Assembly representing the constituency of Quetta, the former capital of Balochistan.

 

Back in government

He was assassinated by Atta Mohammad at approximately 8:30 am on May 9, 1958. "Allama Mashriqi Maliciously Implicated in Murder Case"

 This tragic incident occurred while Dr. Khan Sahib was sitting in the garden of his son Sadullah Khan's house at 16 Aikman Road, GOR,  Lahore. He was waiting for Colonel Syed Abid Hussein of Jhang to accompany him to a meeting organized in connection with the scheduled February 1959 General Elections.

 The assailant, 30-year-old Atta Mohammad was a “Patwari” (Land Revenue Clerk) from Mianwali who had been dismissed from service two years previously. Dr. Khan Sahib was rushed to the Mayo Hospital. However the severe bleeding and grievous injuries caused by the multiple stab wounds meant that the doctors were unable to save his life.

 The body of Dr. Khan Sahib was taken to his village Utmanzai in Charsadda about 30 miles from Peshawar, where he was laid to rest by side of his English wife Mary Khan. All West Pakistan Government offices remained closed on May 9 and flags flew at half-mast in memory of Dr. Khan Sahib.

Speaking of his passing, Pakistani President Iskander Mirza said, about him that he was "the greatest Pathan of his times, a great leader and a gallant gentleman whose life-long fight in the cause of freedom, his sufferings and sacrifices for the sake of his convictions and his passion to do good to the common man were the attributes of a really great man."

 Dr. Khan Sahib was survived by three sons; Sadullah Khan (a civil engineer from Loughborough University), Obaidullah Khan (a politician) and the youngest, Dr. Hidayatullah Khan.

 After his death, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was elected to fill the vacancy arising in the National Assembly.

 It is important to note that Dr.Khan Sahib's brother, Ghaffar Khan and his Red Shirt movement stayed away from the electoral politics.

 Ghaffar Khan actively opposed the One Unit and Dr. Khan Sahib's government. No major Red Shirt leader or worker ever joined the Republican Party, founded by Dr. Khan Sahib. The Red Shirts or Khudai Khidmatgar (servants of God) joined hands with nationalist and progressive workers and leaders from both the then East Pakistan and West Pakistan to form the National Awami Party (National Peoples Party) in 1957.

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Unwavering resolve: Anti-polio drive underway in Charsadda amid tight security

SHABQADAR:  District health authorities resumed their anti-polio campaign in Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda district amid strict security to ensure the safety of polio workers.

Policemen and paramilitary troops escorted polio teams to provide cover, said Assistant Commissioner Hazrat Ali, adding that some teachers have refused to take part in the immunisation drive and have been replaced by officials of the district revenue department.
Ali said disciplinary action will be taken against teachers who have refused to take part in the drive after consulting officials of the education department. “All available resources will be utilised to immunise each and every child.”
The district in-charge of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Dr Farhad Khan said more than 200 teams have been constituted, particularly to administer vaccines to children who were left out during earlier campaigns.
The presidents of two teachers unions, Malgari Usatazan and Primary Teachers Association Shabqadar, said teachers were reluctant to take part in the drive as they were receiving threats.
“It is the responsibility of the health department to perform their duties, not of the teachers,” said Primary Teachers Association Shabqadar’s chief Fazal Hameed.
Presidents of both unions also held the view that annual examinations were just around the corner, and students will suffer if teachers participate in anti-polio campaigns.

Many volunteers opted out of anti-polio drives after nine people including a lady health worker along with her driver were gunned down in Charsadda and other parts of the country in December 2012.
As a result, health authorities were forced to suspend the campaign across the district while a clandestine immunisation drive was carried out in Peshawar earlier this month.
A police official protecting polio workers in Swabi was also shot dead by unidentified assailants during a door-to-door immunisation drive in Gullu Dheri village of Swabi district on Tuesday.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2013.