Cabinet forms body to negotiate peace in restive Swat district: Babak

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Cabinet with Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti Tuesday formed a six member committee headed by two senior ministers for negotiating peace in restive Swat district. The committee will consists of senior ministers Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Rahimdad Khan, and four provincial minister belonging to Malakand Division which has been empowered to move forward the peace process with the consultation of the elders, Ulema and elected representatives in two weeks.
Briefing newsmen after meeting of the provincial cabinet, provincial Information Minister Sardar Hussain Babak flanked by Secretary Information Azmat Hanif Orakzai and Director Information Faridullah Khan, said though the cabinet had no specific agenda for the meeting but it reviewed various issues in detail and took certain decisions.
The cabinet laid great stress on the maintenance of peace in the province with special reference to Swat District.
The Frontier Province, he said, was faced with the problem of law and order after 9/11 episode as no serious effort has been taken to overcome the growing problem. The coalition government of NWFP, he said was sincere in bringing back the durable peace in the province and will talk to every one who mattered in this regard.
The law and order problem in Malakand division, Mr.Babak said, would be redressed through traditional jirga system.
The Information Minister said that the caretaker NWFP government has overstepped from its mandate by massively indulging itself in posting and transfers of the government employees.
To undo illegal transfers done by the caretakers in the province during last four months, the cabinet directed the Ministers to prepare a detailed report of the postings and transfers made in their departments after the general elections in two weeks time, he maintained.
The cabinet, he said, also reviewed arrangements about the proposed visit of the Prime Minister to Peshawar on April 9 (Wednesday).
He said the cabinet decided to take up the mater of increasing the strength of police force, availability of modern weapons and arms, improvement in infrastructure of law enforcing agencies, recalling back the FC platoons deployed outside the province with the Prime Minister.
The Cabinet also decided to bring changes in the district cadre recruitment policy of education department under which 60 percent appointments would be made at the union council level and 40 percent through open merit while previously it was 75:25 ratios.
To settle the problem of clean drinking water, traffic, education, health and other urban civic facilities in Peshawar city, the cabinet constituted a committee comprising provincial ministers, which will submit its reports in two weeks time to the cabinet.
The cabinet, he said has also decided to take practical steps for avoiding flour crises in the province and agreed to take up the matter with the Punjab and Federal Governments. It hailed the raids being conducted by the IGP and Chief Secretary over the flour markets.
A provincial team would proceed to Punjab to remove the bottlenecks hampering the smooth flow of the wheat to the NWFP. The matter would also be brought in the notice of the Prime Minister during his visit to Peshawar, he added.
The cabinet, he said, also directed the senior ministers to review shortcomings in the present Local Government system and recommend proposals and suggestions for bringing improvement in it at the provincial level. The offices of RCOs, he said would not be changed and will allow to work as it is.
The cabinet expressed the resolve the work above the political affiliations for the development of the province with main focus on improving socio economic lot of the people. It also agreed to expedite joint efforts for achieving provincial autonomy and provincial rights.
To a question, the Information Minister said the government would slash its expenditures and uniform development program would be launched for the districts.