PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to reinstate 5,131 employees, who had been sacked by the government of then prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif during 1996-98.
The decision was taken at the 51st cabinet meeting, held here on Monday with Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti in the chair.“These employees will be reappointed on the basis of their age. Thirty posts will be specified for them whenever vacancies are announced in different departments,” Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain told journalists after the meeting.He said that the decision would be approved by the provincial assembly during its current session.
The minister said that the meeting discussed different issues with special focus on law and order situation in the province and also decided to contact federal government for return of 180 platoons of Frontier Constabulary to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.He said that special branch department would be established at district level. The staff of prisons, he said, would be imparted special training. A huge amount of Rs350 million had been allocated in Annual Development Programme for the purpose, he added.
Mr Hussain said that situation of law and order had improved to great extent in the province as Ramazan and Eidul Fitr remained quite peaceful. He said that 370 subversive incidents had taken place in 2011 while during the current year 223 incidents occurred till July 31.He said that 138 policemen and 406 civilians had been killed while 197 law enforcers and 1,047 civilians had been injured during 2011. But during the current year, 39 policemen and 108 civilians were killed while 129 personnel of law enforcement agencies and 388 civilians were injured, the minister added.
About the measures taken by the government for protection of passengers travelling on Silk Route, he said that 150 former policemen would be recruited in addition to setting up six new platoons for the purpose.Mr Hussain said that the heirs of the passengers, who were killed by terrorists, would be handed over compensation cheques on Aug 29. The government, he said, would provide four vehicles to Kohistan police to strengthen them.The minister said that government had decided to improve prosecution system. He directed prosecutors to plead cases of terrorism with full preparation and provision of sufficient evidence so that terrorists could be awarded exemplary punishment.
Courts should also take bold decisions against those, who were arrested with suicide jackets and explosive material in different areas, he added. Mr Hussain said that no decision was taken so far about military operation in North Waziristan Agency but people started migration from the area.The minister said that cross-border attacks in Dir, Chitral and Bajaur forced the government to lodge complaints with Afghan government and Nato forces because terrorists were using the soil of Afghanistan.Nato and Afghan government, he said, should stop the attacks an eradicate terrorists or claim responsibility for the attacks. “We have to defend our sovereignty and independence at all costs,” Mr Hussain said.
