PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, the other day, passed a bill regularising the services of around 3,281 doctors working in various hospitals all over the province.
PPP MPA Fakhar Azam tabled the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Employees of Health Department (Regularisation of Services) Bill, 2017, which was unanimously passed despite the opposition by the health department. According to the sources, ‘provincial government is not in favour of the non-official bill.’
However, Health Minister Shahram Tarakai, who was present in the house, didn’t oppose the bill.
“The smooth sailing of the private member’s bill moved by the opposition shows a clear division between the civil and political bureaucracy,” said an official while commenting on the issue.
The legislation will help regularise the jobs of a total of 3,281 doctors, who were appointed on an ad-hoc or contractual basis to civil and project posts in the province.
Dr Maher Taj Roghani and Rashida Rifat also tabled the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dowry, Bridal Gift and Marriage Functions Restriction Bill, 2017 in the house.
The bill stated that the aggregate value of the gift amount or articles given to the bride by her parents or any other family members shall not exceed the amount of ten thousand rupees.
“There shall be a total ban on dowry articles either given by parents or any other family member or any other person to the bride. It further said that total expenditures on a marriage excluding the value of bridal gifts and parents but including the expenses on baarat or valima incurred by or on behalf of either party for each ceremony shall not exceed seventy-five thousand rupees.”
Meanwhile, the opposition criticised the government for financial crunch and ignoring its constituencies in development schemes.
The opposition leader said due to the wrong policies of the provincial government, the province faced a financial crunch and therefore, the government should arrange a briefing to the take house into confidence on it.
Raja Faisal Zaman of the PML-N declared the withholding of the ADP schemes of the opposition legislators an injustice and said the fate of the upcoming development programme would be no different from the current year’s programme.
He said no one from the government was here to hear the opposition’s grievances and that the speaker should take up the matter with the chief minister for corrective measures.
The session was later prorogued.
