———– PM, President condemn deadly terrorist attack on police checkpost in Kurram
———– Decide to go after terrorists in all corners of the country
———– District police officer says assailants not only engaged in gunfire but also set fire to the checkpost
By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari have both strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack on a police checkpost in Kurram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), which resulted in the death of one policeman and injuries to another.
PM Shehbaz, in his message, extended his tribute to the police officer who lost his life and urged for exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. He emphasised the nation’s respect for the sacrifices made by police officers and instructed relevant authorities to provide the best medical care to the injured. The PM also called for a thorough investi-gation to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
President Zardari echoed these sentiments, expressed profound grief over the loss of police person-nel and offered his condolences to the family of the fallen officer. He prayed for the martyred officer and for the swift recovery of those injured in the attack.
The attack occurred when terrorists targeted a police checkpost in Kurram. According to District Police Officer Ahmed Khan, the assailants not only engaged in gunfire but also set the checkpost ablaze.
The martyred policeman has been identified as Qoowat Khan, while constable Shahzad sustained inju-ries and is receiving treatment at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Sadda.
This incident marks a continuation of violence in the region, which has faced similar attacks in recent months. Earlier this month, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Kurram dis-trict, killing seven terrorists and injuring five others in an effort to curb terrorism.
The recent attack underscores the ongoing security challenges faced in the area and highlights the need for continued vigilance and strong measures to combat terrorism.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed that the financial package for Public Works Department (PWD) employees, who will be laid off due to the institution’s dissolution, will not apply to those proven guilty of serious corruption charges. The prime minister chaired a meeting on Sunday to review the legal aspects and final procedures concerning the disbanding of the PWD.
PM Shehbaz also tasked the officials with preparing the final plan for transferring ongoing PWD pro-jects to provinces and relevant departments, while instructing that all final recommendations on the matter of closure be submitted to the cabinet at the earliest.
Furthermore, the premier also ordered the implementation of the age relaxation proposal to re-employ hardworking and honest staffers who have had a short period of employment with the PWD.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Economic Affairs Division Min-ister Ahad Khan Cheema, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Housing and Works Minister Riaz Hussain Pir-zada, and high-ranking officials from the relevant departments.
In a separate meeting, PM Shehbaz assigned the relevant departments the undertaking of imple-menting the e-office system in all government offices.
Giving a month’s deadline, the prime minister warned the officials of Ministry of Information Technol-ogy and Telecommunication that any delay in the execution of the plan would not be tolerated.
“There should be no file work without e-office in the government offices from next month,” he said, adding that implementing the plan would enhance transparency in the system, which was the gov-ernment’s top priority.
On the prime minister’s direction, the PM Office staff has already completed their e-office training. Last week, PM Shehbaz also started receiving files through the new system.
Highlighting that the e-office is a crucial step towards enhancing governance and promoting digitisation in the country, the PM sought a report on the progress of its implementation within the next two weeks.
