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Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Sustainable peace solution in terrorism-prone areas: KP govt to take political parties into confidence, formulate strategy
PESHAWAR: The 35th meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet was held here on Friday, with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair. Cabinet members, Additional Chief Secretaries, the Senior Member Board of Revenue, Administrative Secretaries, and the Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attended the meeting. Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Information & Public Relations, while explaining the details of the decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting, said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur announced that an All Parties Conference would be convened next week to take all political parties into confidence and formulate a joint strategy for a sustainable peace solution in terrorism-prone areas. The Chief Minister stated that the restoration of peace in District Kurram is the result of the government's sincere efforts and that peace in other areas can also be achieved through consultations with local jirgas and tribal elders, Barrister Dr Saif said. The Advisor further informed that the meeting also discussed proposed reforms to 3MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) law. It was decided that the implementation of this law would be subject to prior approval from the Home Department to prevent its misuse. The Chief Minister remarked that the 3MPO is a law similar to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which is often misused. Speaking on incidents of natural disasters across the country, the Chief Minister emphasized that such tragedies should not be politicized and reaffirmed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is always ready to assist other provinces in times of need, he added. Barrister Dr Saif said that the Cabinet approved financial assistance of Rs5 million each for the families of martyrs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who lost their lives due to Indian aggression. Additionally Rs10 million in compensation was approved for the family of Maulana Khanzeb Shaheed, who was martyred in a terrorist attack. Explaining other important decisions of the Cabinet meeting, he said that the Cabinet approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Income Tax Rules, 2025, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Audit Rules, 2025, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection (Sealing or Seizing) Rules, 2025. The Cabinet formed a cabinet committee on the agenda item related to the removal of the death penalty provision from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 2019. The Cabinet Committee will submit its recommendations to the Cabinet. The Cabinet approved financial assistance totaling Rs48.1 million for four individuals - Rozina, Anas Khan, Muhammad Aman, and Muhammad Azlan - to help cover the cost of high-expense treatments for acute medical conditions that were otherwise beyond their financial means. The Cabinet approved the handing over of Dir Model School Dodba for the establishment of a campus of Khyber Medical University's Institute of Health Sciences in District Dir Upper, so that the current academic session could begin at the building. The Cabinet also approved land acquisition, at a total cost of Rs38.69 million, through private negotiations for the supply of Swat River surface water to Mingora via gravity flow. The Cabinet approved a cost enhancement from Rs318.501 million to Rs375.210 million for the project titled Strengthening Health Management Information System / District Health Information System in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Phase-II). It also approved a series of important administrative measures, including the appointment of members to the Board of Governors of the Paraplegic Center, and the posting and transfer of the Managing Director of the Health Foundation. Furthermore, the Cabinet approved the appointment of five members to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission. Under the Provincial Action Plan, the Cabinet approved the installation of RFID systems and machine-readable number plates on already-profiled NCP vehicles in the province. The Cabinet also decided to limit the measure strictly to profiling of NCP vehicles, with no tax collection involved, he explained. He said that requests for relaxation of the ban and procurement of vehicles for various departments were placed before the Cabinet. It was decided that, on a case-to-case basis, the required vehicles would be arranged through the Excise Department. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Gandapur convenes APC for tribal peace
The 35th meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Cabinet was held on Friday, presided over by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur. Briefing media on the meeting's decisions, Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations, said the Chief Minister announced plans to convene an All Parties Conference next week. The initiative aims to build political consensus and formulate a joint strategy for establishing long-term peace in terrorism-affected areas, particularly in the tribal belt. Highlighting recent peace efforts, the Chief Minister noted that the restoration of calm in District Kurram was made possible through government-led negotiations with tribal elders and jirgas. He expressed hope that similar models could help bring peace to other restive regions. The Cabinet also discussed reforms to the 3MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) law, emphasizing the need to prevent its misuse. The Chief Minister compared it to the outdated Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), stressing that its implementation must now require prior approval from the Home Department. On the topic of natural disasters, the Chief Minister urged all political actors to refrain from politicizing human tragedies and reiterated K-P's readiness to assist other provinces in times of need. The Cabinet approved Rs5 million in compensation for each family of K-P martyrs affected by Indian aggression and Rs10 million for the family of Maulana Khanzeb, who was martyred in a terrorist attack. Several key legal and administrative reforms were approved, including the K-P Agriculture Income Tax Rules 2025, the Environmental Audit Rules 2025, and the Environmental Protection (Sealing or Seizing) Rules 2025. A cabinet committee was formed to review a proposal to remove the death penalty clause from the K-P Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 2019. To support citizens with critical health needs, financial assistance of Rs48.1 million was sanctioned for four patients — Rozina, Anas Khan, Muhammad Aman, and Muhammad Azlan — for life-saving treatments. In education, the Cabinet approved the handover of Dir Model School Dodba for establishing a Khyber Medical University Institute of Health Sciences campus in Upper Dir. It also authorized land acquisition worth Rs38.69 million for a project to supply Swat River water to Mingora via gravity flow. Cost adjustments were also approved for health initiatives, including an increase in funding for the Health Management Information System Phase-II, from Rs318.5 million to Rs375.2 million. Administrative decisions included appointments to the Paraplegic Center Board of Governors, the K-P Child Protection and Welfare Commission, and the posting of the Health Foundation's Managing Director. Under the Provincial Action Plan, the Cabinet sanctioned the installation of RFID and machine-readable number plates for already-profiled non-custom paid (NCP) vehicles, clarifying that the move would not involve any tax collection.
Express Tribune
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Wujuud-i-Zan: Mussamat Tajo's fight for justice
Zoya Sameen's Wujuud-i-Zan talk explored Musammat Tajo's 14-year legal battle against colonial expulsion and injustice On February 21st, 2025, Habib University hosted a thought-provoking one-day conference titled Wujuud-i-Zan, focusing on women in academia: scholars, artists, and activists. The event fostered a transdisciplinary dialogue on gender performance and perception, bringing together voices from diverse fields to explore the complexities of women's roles in society. As a Habib University alumna, attending this conference was a bittersweet experience. It was a return to an intellectual space I had cherished as a student, but this time, I was there not to discuss the event in class but to cover it as a professional. The shift in context was both nostalgic and empowering. One of the panels that particularly captivated me was 'Colonial Modernity and the Gendered Subject', especially the subsection led by Zoya Sameen, a historian specializing in gender, law, and empire in 19th and 20th-century South Asia. Her talk, titled 'This Woman is a Most Undesirable Person': Tajo vs. Frontier Crimes Regulation in the Balochistan Agency', delved into the intricate ways colonial and patriarchal systems policed women, particularly those involved in sex work, and how these systems intersected with legal and social frameworks. Her presentation began by outlining the colonial state's multifaceted approach to policing women, particularly those engaged in prostitution. She identified four distinct regimes of control that evolved over the 19th and 20th centuries: 1. Criminalization: In the late 19th century, women suspected of being sex workers were criminalized and policed under vague and often discriminatory laws. 2. Expulsion: Following the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act, women were expelled from military spaces, creating a new set of challenges as they were forced into less surveilled areas. 3. Relocation: In the 20th century, municipal governance played a key role in relocating women to designated red-light districts, effectively segregating them from the rest of society. 4. Deportation: In some cases, women were not just relocated but deported, often under harsh legal frameworks like the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). While sex work itself was not explicitly criminalized, laws like the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act targeted the surrounding economic and social structures—brothel-keeping, public solicitation, and property leasing for sex work. This approach created an intricate system of control, reflecting the collaboration between colonial governance and patriarchal nationalism to regulate women's bodies and movements. At the heart of Sameen's talk was the case of Musammat Tajo, a woman whose life and struggles epitomized the gendered injustices of colonial rule. Tajo, a sex worker in Quetta, was expelled from the city in 1923 under Section 36 of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). This section granted the Balochistan Agency the power to expel individuals deemed 'dangerous' or likely to cause 'bloodshed'—terms so vague that they could be applied to anyone, particularly women like Tajo. Tajo's expulsion was justified on the grounds that her presence in Quetta would disrupt peace and lead to violence. This reasoning, however, was deeply gendered. Tajo was blamed for the conflicts between three men—her former husband, Ghulam Rasool; her lover, Ahmed Ali Shah; and another man, Nur Mohammad. Despite the men's involvement in the disputes, it was Tajo who bore the brunt of the legal consequences. Her status as a sex worker made her a convenient scapegoat, and she was expelled from Balochistan without recourse to justice. Over the next 14 years, Tajo tirelessly petitioned for her return to Quetta. Her brother also appealed on her behalf, arguing that the circumstances of her expulsion no longer applied—her former husband had remarried, and her lover had left the city. Despite these efforts, her petitions were repeatedly rejected. In 1931, the Agent to the Governor General (AGG) dismissed her appeal with the chilling statement: 'This woman is obviously a most undesirable person and is likely to cause more trouble if allowed to return to Quetta.' Tajo's identity as a sex worker and her perceived 'undesirability' overshadowed any consideration of her rights or humanity. Tajo's story, however, is not just one of victimization. Her relentless petitions and appeals demonstrate her agency and resilience in the face of systemic oppression. She refused to accept the colonial state's verdict and continued to fight for her right to return home. Her case highlights how women like Tajo engaged with the law, not just as passive subjects but as active participants who read, manipulated, and reshaped legal categories to challenge their oppression. Tajo's case offers us a window into the realities of colonial legal power, empire, and its impact on women's lives. It shifts the focus from governance as an abstract ideology to its everyday application, revealing how colonial and patriarchal systems intersected to control women's bodies and movements. At the same time, it underscores the ways in which women like Tajo resisted and reshaped these systems, exposing the instability and contradictions of colonial authority. As I left the conference, I reflected on the enduring relevance of Tajo's story. Her struggles remind us of the importance of centering marginalized voices in our understanding of history and justice. They also challenge us to confront the legacies of colonialism and patriarchy that continue to shape our world today. Tajo's resilience is a testament to the power of resistance and the enduring fight for dignity and equality—a fight that remains as urgent now as it was in her time. In the end, Wujuud-i-Zan was not just a conference but a celebration of women's voices, past and present, and a call to continue the work of dismantling the systems that seek to silence them. Tajo's story, like so many others, is a reminder that history is not just about the powerful but also about those who, against all odds, refuse to be erased
Express Tribune
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Fazl threatens Islamabad march over tribal issues
PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has threatened to march on Islamabad if tribal issues remained unresolved, asserting that while his party remained loyal to Pakistan and its Constitution, it will not accept "forced decisions". Addressing a tribal jirga in Peshawar on Monday, he called for confidence-building measures, urging the government to address tribal grievances through jirgas. "If these jirgas fail to resolve the issues, we will march on Islamabad," he asserted. "If we can march for religious seminaries, we can march for the tribal people as well. History will remember you as occupiers and oppressors," the cleric-politician added. He said that he had consistently participated in tribal jirgas, including during the merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). He clarified that while his party did not oppose the merger outright, it had always insisted that the decision should not have been made without consulting the people of FATA. "Before the merger, a jirga had decided that the future of tribal areas should be left to the will of the people – whether they wanted to continue under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), become a separate province, or integrate into an existing one." A referendum was demanded on the issue, he added. He recalled that the state had promised peace in return for the merger, yet today, neither security nor stability exists in K-P and the tribal districts. "If there was peace, every individual's dignity and honour would be safeguarded. If there was peace, human rights would not be violated. If there was peace, there would be employment," he remarked, pointing to the worsening law and order situation. The cleric-politician said that Islam was a religion of peace and his party advocates for a peaceful system. "We are in parliament, but establishing an Islamic system remains our firm demand." "The Constitution mandates that no law contrary to Islam should be enacted, but we see a democracy devoid of implementation," he asserted. Fazl further questioned who truly upheld the Constitution in the country. "When we talk about the Constitution and the rule of law, we are accused of attempting to break the country. The Constitution is a sacred contract."
