PESHAWAR: Over Rs28 million annual allocation for the Internal Support Unit (ISU) of the finance department came under scrutiny in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday as an opposition member questioned the utility of huge spending on 14 staff members of the unit at a time when the province is struggling to foot its pay and pension bill.

During question hour, member of the opposition Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) MPA Inayatullah Khan told the house that financial impact of 14 people, who were hired from the private sector for running the ISU, was more than Rs28 million annually.

He expressed serious reservations about the ‘performance and utility’ of those consultants, who, he said, were hired to introduce fiscal reforms.

The lawmaker said the province had crossed the ‘red line’ due to its worst financial mismanagement and would default on loans.

In provincial assembly, MMA member questions large funds for finance dept’s wing despite ‘poor performance’

“Apparently, the financial outlook of the province is constantly deteriorating, so clearly your reforms have failed,” he said, adding that the cash-starved province could not afford to hire such people for a high salary.

Mr Khan said finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, too, behaved like a consultant. He asked the chair to refer the question to the relevant standing committee of the house for a detailed discussion.

The finance minister was not present in the house.

Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan, who presided over the proceedings, referred the question to the relevant committee of the house.

An adjournment motion moved by independent member Mir Kalam Khan, who belongs to North Waziristan tribal district, portrayed a dismal picture of the state of enrolment in schools in KP, especially merged tribal districts.

He said according to a survey conducted by the Benazir Income Support Programme 2021, around 4.7 million children aged between five and 16 years were out of school in the province and 2.9 million of them were girls.

The lawmaker said out of 4.7 million children, one million belonged to merged tribal districts and 74.4 per cent of them were girls and 38.5 per cent boys.

The BISP survey shows that 66 per cent of children are out of schools in North Waziristan tribal district, 63 per cent in Bajaur, 61 per cent in South Waziristan, 51 per cent in Mohmand and Khyber each and 47 per cent in Kurram and Orakzai each.

In response to the adjournment motion, higher education minister Kamran Bangash said the provincial government was taking measures to increase literacy rate in the province, so it launched enrollment drives.

He supported the adjournment motion for a debate in the house for its opinion on the matter.

The chair put the motion to vote leading to its admission.

The assembly also admitted a privilege motion of PPP member Nighat Yasmin Orakzaia gainst the transport secretary.

MPA Orkazai said the provincial assembly had passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Employees of Transport Department Regularisation of Service Act, 2022, on May 30, 2022, but the transport secretary was not accepting it.

She alleged that the secretary had opposed and issued instructions to the transport director on Sept 7, 2022, that despite the passage of that act passed by the house, employees of the department won’t be regularised, which was tantamount to breaching the privilege of the house.

She called for the sending of the motion to the privilege committee of the house and said until the final ruling on the motion was given, the secretary should be made OSD (officer on special duty).

Transport minister Shah Mohammad said the assembly was supreme, so the chair should put the motion to vote. After its approval by the house, the motion was referred to the relevant committee of the house.

Voicing concern about the continuous increase in sexual abuse of children and girls in the province, the opposition members complained that the laws were made in the assembly but they were not implemented.

They said unrest in the province had become a big threat to the government.

The lawmakers said despite the claims that it was the responsibility of the police to prevent incidents of sexual violence, the goals hadn’t been achieved.

In an adjournment motion, Ms Orakzai said children were sexually assaulted regularly.

She said the police mentioned such sections in FIRs that helped the accused secure the court’s orders for release.

She said a 23-year-old girl was killed in Badhaber area of Peshawar last month and her body was found three days later from bushes.

“The incidents of kidnapping and killing are reported in the province on a daily basis,” she said.

The lawmaker said 11 cases of women’s abduction were reported in August, while 16 children were also kidnapped.

She added that 11 rape cases were also recorded in July besides 17 of domestic violence and 32 of child sexual assault.

Ms Orakzai also complained that MPA Shaukat Ali was attacked but the accused had yet to be traced.

“There is a need for the review of the Police Act,” she said.

Madiha Nisar of the PTI pointed out a lack of quorum when 11 members were present in the house.

The deputy speaker ordered the ringing of bells for two minutes for headcount, which led to the adjournment of the session until Nov 14.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2022