GHALANAI: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Monday approved the draft Control of Narcotics Substance Bill, 2019, which proposes imprisonment and heavy fine for possessing crystal meth (ice drug).

After attending the cabinet’s first meeting in Mohmand tribal district, adviser to the chief minister for merged areas Ajmal Khan Wazir and information minister Shaukat Yousafzai told reporters that the cabinet discussed and approved the proposed law for the control and prevention of ice drug.

They said the bill proposed seven years imprisonment and Rs300,000 fines for possessing 100 grammes of ice drug and life imprisonment and Rs1.4 million fine for carrying one kilogramme of it.

The information minister said a comprehensive campaign would be launched in educational institutions across the province to create awareness of the harms of ice drug.

Cabinet okays Control of Narcotics Substance Bill, to discuss proposed LG bill in next meeting

He said the cabinet reviewed Fata’s merger with KP with a focus on Levies induction issues, KP Judicial Academy (Amendment) Bill, 2018, amendments to the service rules of the provincial ombudsman secretariat, approval of the vested draft rules framed under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Scholarship Fund Act, 2014, and provision of funds through supplementary grant to Pakistan-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Science and Technology.

Mr Yousafzai said amendments to service rules of the provincial Ombudsman Secretariat were also discussed in the meeting.

He said a bill on local government was ready and would be tabled in the next special cabinet meeting for approval.

The CM adviser said 28,000 Khasadar and Levies personnel had been made part of the provincial police, while Rs400 million funds had been approved for the purpose.

He said the Khassadar Force had been merged with police; funds had been released for it, and all matters about it would be finalised within six months.

Mr Wazir said Rs142.4 million was approved as supplementary grant to Pak-Austria Institute of Applied Science and Technology.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and was attended by provincial ministers and administrative secretaries.

The chief minister, who travelled to Mohmand district’s headquarters, Ghalanai, along with his ministers to attend the meeting, also inaugurated the Sehat Insaf Card and Insaf Rozgar schemes, and distributed health cards to tribesmen.

Earlier, the cabinet had a meeting in Khyber tribal district.

The chief minister later addressed a public meeting at the Capt Rohullah Shaheed Sports Stadium.

MNA Sajid Khan Mohmand welcomed visitors and apprised him of the residents’ demands.

He demanded the early opening of the Gursal trade route to Afghanistan, which has been closed for eight years.

The MNA also called for the supply of drinking water to Haleemzai, Khwezai and Biazai tehsils of the district, the opening of a university campus in the area, and induction of the locals only in the Mohmand dam project.

He demanded irrigation schemes from Mohmand dam for Pandiali and Ambar tehsils.

The chief minister assured tribesmen that the government would try its best to resolve their problems.

He said he would continue holding the cabinet’s meetings in merged districts.

Mr Mahmood said Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit the area soon.

He also examined work on Gandao small dam and attended a briefing about it.

The relevant officials told him that the dam would cost Rs449 million and 72 per cent of work on it had been completed.

They said the dam’s construction had come to a halt due to a terrorist attack in Sept 2103 but it resumed in Jan 2018 following the elimination of militants from the area by security forces.

The officials said work on the dam would be completed within two months benefitting 22,000 residents.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2019