PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has said that provincial government has increased endowment fund for journalists of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Rs120.5 million to Rs200 million.

He was addressing the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected office-bearers of Peshawar Press Club at Chief Minister’s House here on Wednesday. He said that only wise men learned from mistakes.

“Anyone, who learns from someone else’s mistakes, is a wise man. The one, who does not learn from own mistakes, is a fool,” said Mr Gandapur. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the first province of the country that had Rs30 billion endowment fund for paying payback debt and increased endowment fund for journalists from Rs120.5 million to Rs200.

He said that he could not tolerate criticism in the past. He said that one should think and do a research before making an opinion. He added that one could not question any opinion made after detailed research.

Says endowment fund for journalists increased to Rs200m

“I was told by party chief Imran Khan not to compromise on credibility. For your credibility, you cannot compromise on your principles,” he said. He said that his government increased the province’s revenue to a record 49 per cent. He said that other provinces should follow suit for development of the country.

“I don’t want to go into details as to what we have done, which is not covered by media after telephone calls. We never complained as we have recently realised that it is too difficult to stand against some people,” said the chief minister.

He suggested that a TV programme should be held or a page of newspaper should be dedicated to performance of each provincial government. It would help people to know as to who did better, enabling them to choose right representatives, he added.

Mr Gandapur said that all press clubs in the province were facilitated following suggestions from Peshawar Press Club. He said that government would continue to facilitate press clubs without any discrimination as it increased seed money for journalists’ endowment fund.

Talking about the provincial government’s New Peshawar Valley housing project, he said that although the scheme was available in papers and there was nothing on ground. However, he said that work on the project would start in the current year.

He said that if every person did little more than his or her responsibilities, all the issues would be resolved with passing of time.

The adviser to chief minister on information, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, said on the occasion that provincial government always stood for independence of media outlets and freedom of speech. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would facilitate media persons to perform their duty accordingly.

The newly-elected president of Peshawar Press Club, Mohammad Riaz, said that it was the only press club across the world that faced suicide attack. He said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf allocated land to 564 journalists and requested chief minister to include media enclave in the first phase of the housing project. He said that seed money for journalists’ endowment fund should also be increased.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025