PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to exempt the outsourcing of the properties of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation from open bidding.

The move enables the culture and tourism department to contract out those properties under public-private partnership mode, according to an official statement.

The cabinet met with caretaker Chief Minister Syed Arshad Hussain Shah in the chair and ministers and administrative secretaries in attendance.

After the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010 that led to the devolution of the tourism ministry to the provinces, 19 PTDC properties were handed over to KP’s tourism department.

Orders to re-initiate process to appoint KPOGCL CEO

The outsourcing of these properties to the local and international investors will be made under the guidance of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, according to the statement.

The cabinet approved Durreh Shahwar and Imran Takkar as the members of the Provincial Parole Committee as per Rule 11(2) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Probation and Parole Rules, 2023, read with Section 14(1) of the Probation and Parole Act, 2021.

It provided for the appointment of two civil society members to the committee for three years.

While the additional secretary of the home and tribal affairs department is the ex-officio chairman of the committee, the inspector general of prisons is its member and the director (reclamation and probation) its member-cum-secretary.

The caretaker government, on June 8, 2023, approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Probation and Parole Rules 2022, whose Rule 11 calls for the constitution of the provincial parole committee.

The cabinet approved the remuneration of Rs600 per day for the body search duty in tests and examinations of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission, according to the statement.

While conducting types of tests and examinations for appointments in the province, the commission has been

paying different remunerations for duties, but no remuneration was fixed for the body search.

The cabinet directed the KPOGCL’s board of directors to re-initiate the process of appointing the chief executive officer in accordance with the provisions contained in the Companies Act, 2017, read with Rule 5(2) of the Public Sector Companies Corporate Governance Rules, 2013, Policy Framework of Provincial Government vis-à-vis matters related to the CEO and the SECP guidelines for appointment of the CEO.

The board was also directed to complete the verification of experience of candidates and other related matters prior to submission of the case to the provincial government.

The energy and power department was also allowed to take up a case with the Election Commission of Pakistan to grant NOC for initiating the process of the appointment of the CEO of the KPOGCL.

In August 2021, after the death of KPOGCL CEO Osman Ghani Khattak, the board initiated the process of hiring his successor before recommending a panel of three candidates to the government.

On October 25, 2022, the cabinet approved the appointment of Dr Amir khan Jadoon. However, it was found during verification that he had not provided the correct information regarding his

experience in the British Petroleum company, so the board decided to withdraw the offer letter.

However, Dr Jadoon got a stay order against the move from the Peshawar High Court. The court dismissed that petition on Sept 13, 2023.

The cabinet approved the appointment of Mohammad Ayub as the chief executive officer of the Transmission and Grid System Company.

It also granted the additional charge of the post of the chief executive of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation to Peshawar commissioner Zubair Khan and directed authorities to expedite the process of appointing a permanent CEO to the organisation.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2024