By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) on Friday discussed the issue of FATA House Islamabad and recommended to the Ministry of Interior to handover the possession to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and submit the report to the Committee accordingly.
The Committee which met here at Parliament House with MNA Muhammad Jamal ud Din in the Chair, was of the view that FATA House was the property of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government after FATA merger.
On the issue of non-inclusion of students from Deeni Madaaris as well as students from Erstwhile FATA into Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme, the Committee was informed by the Chairman HEC that 9500 laptops given to the FATA students under the Laptop scheme.
The Chairman HEC further informed that Deeni Madaaris do not come under the policy and the HEC only awards laptops to the university students.
The Committee recommended to the Chairman HEC to sit together with the Management of Wafaq-ul-Madaaris to amend the existing policy and also include Deeni Madaaris students in the said laptop scheme.
The Committee recommended that the DEO Tribal District South Waziristan would be invited in the next meeting for briefing explaining the reasons of not submitting the feasibility report and PC-I of establishing of 39 boys and girls primary schools under ADP No. 389/210339 in South Waziristan.
Earlier, the DEO South Waziristan has given the assurance in the previous meeting of the Committee that the PC-I of the said schools of South Waziristan would be submitted to the Education Department, Government of KP as soon as possible.
The Committee further recommended to the District Education Officers (F/M) of Tribal District South Waziristan to submit the PC-I of the above-mentioned schools within one week to Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar and submit back report to the Committee accordingly.
The Committee was also briefed by the Secretary Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), Islamabad on the increase of medical/dental seats for FATA students in medical and dental colleges across the country in view of the Cabinet Decision made in its meeting on 2nd March, 2017.
The Secretary PMC informed the Committee that the seats have been increased only for session 2022-23.
The Committee appreciated quick response of PMC in allocating the additional seats, however the Committee recommended to the Pakistan Medical Commission to issue one-time notification for doubling of seats in medical/dental colleges across the Country by 2028, so as to resolve the issue once for all.
The Committee further recommended that Health Secretaries of the provinces and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would be invited in the next meeting in order to resolve the medical and dental seats for FATA students across the country forever.
The Committee was also briefed by the Executive Director, Urban Policy and Planning Unite, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the Master Plan for Wana Urban center of Lower Waziristan and Miranshah/ Mir Ali urban centers of North Waziristan has already been completed.
However, the Master Plan for the urban center of Upper Waziristan Tribal District shall be developed in phase-II of the project which shall be initiated before June 2023.
The Committee recommended that headquarter of Upper Waziristan Tribal District may be established at Tehsil Ladha Waziristan as Ladha was the most feasible location than Spinkai Raghzi.
The meeting was attended by MNAs including Muhammad Afzal Khokhar, Chaudry Muhammad Ashraf, Naveed Ameer Jeeva, Afreen Khan, Nasiba Channa, and Mohsin Dawar, MNA/Mover and officials of the Ministry and its attached departments.
