KP govt to challenge proposed constitutional amendment in Supreme Court

• Debt Management Fund aimed at long-term economic stability.
• Fund to focus on investing unutilised balances from govt treasury.
  
• KP okays recurring grant of Rs1.5bn for public universities.
  

PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday approved submitting a plea in the Supreme Court challenging the proposed constitutional amendment by the federal government.

The decision came in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur during which his provincial cabinet made several decisions, including the approval for the establishment of a 'Debt Management Fund'.

The filing of the constitutional petition is based on the argument that the parliament — including both the National Assembly and the Senate — is incomplete as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) reserved seats had not been allocated.

It should be noted that the government pushed the proposed constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in October this year, following the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) request last month for the early issuance of a notification regarding the appointment of the next top judge.

The ruling coalition — with the aim to have the amendments passed in the Parliament House — left no stone unturned to woo Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, with leaderships of PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) holding a flurry of meetings with the cleric, but to no avail.

Despite claims of securing the "magic number" needed to push the bill through, the government failed to table the amendments in parliament and postponed its move indefinitely — a development confirmed by Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui.

Additionally in the meeting headed by CM Gandapur, in accordance with Section 36 (1) of the KP Public Financial Management Act, 2022, the Finance Department outlined the creation of the Debt Management Fund, aimed at long-term economic stability.

The fund will focus on investing unutilised balances from the government treasury into low-risk instruments, with approved rules governing its operations.

Meanwhile, the cabinet also expressed regret over the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Pakistan's offer/decision to obtain a $118.4 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank for the "Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood Affected Households Project" in KP.

The cabinet approved a recurring grant of Rs1.5 billion for public sector universities in KP.

It okayed the constitution of an academic search committee for the appointment of vice-chancellors in public sector universities. 

Prof Dr Kausar A Malik will serve as the convener of the committee, along with other members, including Prof Dr Anwarul Hassan, Prof Dr M Aslam Baig and Prof Dr Sara Safdar.

A performance evaluation committee for vice-chancellors in public sector universities was also constituted for two years, which will include Dr Shafiq ur Rehman, Prof Dr Zahir Shah and Prof Dr Muhammad Akmal.

Furthermore, the cabinet conditionally sanctioned Secretariat Performance Allowance for the employees of the Solicitor's Wing of the Law Department, in compliance with the judgment of the High Court in the writ petition.

It approved the transfer of 11 kanal of state land to the Health Department for the upgradation of the Rural Health Centre Nizampur to a category-D hospital in District Nowshera.

The cabinet endorsed the recommendations of the fifth meeting of the Cabinet Supervisory Committee about outsourced hospitals in different districts.

It sanctioned a non-ADP (Annual Development Programme) scheme amounting Rs3.1475 billion for the recovery of maternal and child healthcare equipment in flood-affected areas of Hazara division of KP.

The cabinet approved a one-year extension for the 'Literacy for All' programme in the merged districts, with a total cost of Rs223.872 million.

The programme, which began in 2015, aims to eradicate illiteracy and achieve universal primary education by enrolling out-of-school children. The extension will be from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

The cabinet approved the transfer of state land to the Local Government Department for the construction of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) Lahore office building in Swabi under an ADP scheme.

The cabinet also approved a special compensation package of Rs14.87 million for the 119 victims of the fire incident that occurred at Nauthia Bazar, Peshawar.

It okayed the appointment of Malik Haroon Iqbal as the new chairperson for the Environmental Protection Tribunal in Peshawar, for three years following the resignation of the previous chairperson, effective August 31, 2023.

The cabinet approved signing the Financing Agreement, Channeling Agreement, and a separate agreement related to the KFW-assisted project for digital governance in KP.

It also approved the re-notification of 20 kanals of land from a food godown near Haji Camp Bus Stand, GT Road, Peshawar, for the establishment of the Gandhara Digital Complex, an initiative aimed at advancing digital governance and innovation in the province.

The cabinet approved the appointment of Nasir Khan as CEO of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company Limited for three years.

The cabinet approved amendments in the procedure of appointment of chairman for district development advisory committees in the province.

The cabinet approved the grant in aid of Rs10 million for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Mobility Authority and allowed the Excise and Taxation Department to re-initiate the recruitment process for required staff through testing service as per the orders of the court.