Deserving women in KP to get free legal services

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet in a meeting on Friday approved the KP Legal Aid Bill that would enable women to pursue rights cases in courts smoothly.

Briefing the media about the details of the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmud Khan, Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said a legal agency would be formulated under the Legal Aid Bill to facilitate womenfolk who are unable to bear the litigation expenses.

The cabinet, he said, approved an amendment to the Muslim Family Laws Act 2019 dealing with the Shia sect already adopted by the National Assembly for implementation in the province.

Shaukat Yousafzai said the cabinet gave a nod to the budget under Local Government Act for those union and village councils which could not get the budget passed from the respective forums due to certain reasons.

He said 383 kilometres roads sited in the merged tribal districts have been given to the KP Highway Authority for better maintenance and rehabilitation of the highways and roads. These were previously with the Communication and Works Department.

The minister said the cabinet declared educational boards as Essential Service Sector to improve productivity and performance. He said that the election of unions in the government schools have been suspended to keep educational institutions free from politics.

The information minister said the cabinet decided to abolish the Fata Development Authority and its ongoing projects have been given to the departments concerned. The cabinet approved arbitration boards to resolve the grievances of the staff in the Medical Teaching Institutions. The boards, he said, would be headed by retired high court judges.

He said the Health Professional Allowance for doctors working in various teaching institutions was also approved. Shaukat Yousafzai said the cabinet approved the Power Crusher Act under which action would be taken against crushing units polluting the surrounding areas.

He said the cabinet approved two administrative sub-divisions and four tehsils for the Peshawar district. These include City, Saddar, Matani and Shah Alam tehsils. The Reproductive Healthcare and Rights Bill-2019 were approved for submission to the KP Assembly.

Under the bill, awareness would be created among the masses about family planning and the department concerned would facilitate the married couples in this regard. The cabinet approved the proposed amendment in Criminal Procedure Code 1898, section 14-A authorizing special magistrate to hear cases related to forests, minerals, adulteration in edible items, government land, encroachments, municipal services, building control and motor vehicles' rules violations. The minister said the proposed amendment was part of policy to ensure good governance.

According to the minister, the cabinet approved amendments to the Succession Act 1925 under which NADRA would issue a letter of administration and succession certificates to legal heirs of a deceased person as per his/her family's registration certificate.

He said the cabinet gave go-ahead to the transfer of 54 kanal extra land of Khanpur Dam from Wapda to Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) for installation of a grid-station.

He informed that the revival of posts of 157 Road Inspectors in the Communication and Works Department was approved to ensure reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads damaged by the floods.

The minister said the blacktopping of 35-kilometers long Manglawar to Malam Jabba road was approved. "The payment of Rs22.520 million would be made to the families displaced during the construction of tunnels on the Swat Motorway," he added.

The information minister said the amendment to the Emergency Rescue Service Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Act, 2012 was approved under which the qualification and eligibility conditions for recruitment of District Emergency Officer (BS-18) and Emergency Officer (BS-17) would be made part of the act.