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PESHAWAR, Feb 02 (APP): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday witnessed a wide-ranging debate on women empowerment policies, the performance of the Social Welfare Department, financial management and issues related to the National Finance Commission (NFC).
The session was chaired by Speaker Muhammad Israr. During the question hour, PPP MPA Ashbar Jadoon criticized the government’s women development initiatives, saying these were largely confined to handicraft centers and failed to equip women with modern skills.
She stressed the need to promote training in IT, nursing and other contemporary fields, particularly in underdeveloped districts where even basic vocational institutions were lacking.
Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam agreed that women empowerment could not be restricted to traditional skills alone and said the government was working on introducing modern skill development programs.
On his recommendation, the Speaker referred the matter to the standing committee to formulate workable proposals and review the effectiveness of existing handicraft centers.
PML-N MPA Amina Sardar raised objections over the prolonged contractual appointment of a Social Welfare Officer in Abbottabad, arguing that the law allowed such appointments only for a limited period.
She also alleged irregularities related to food supplies at Dar-ul-Aman and questioned the authority behind the continued appointment.
Responding to the concerns, the law minister said the department was facing an acute staff shortage, with several posts lying vacant, which necessitated the continuation of contractual arrangements.
The Speaker subsequently referred the issue to the standing committee for further investigation. PML-N member Shazia Jadoon questioned the lapse of more than Rs30 million from the Social Welfare Department’s budget during the current fiscal year, saying the unutilized funds could have been used for public welfare projects.
The law minister explained that multiple schemes were delayed due to pending court cases, making it impossible to reallocate the funds.
The debate intensified when JUI-F MPA Adnan Khan criticized the lack of a clear response on NFC-related questions, terming it a failure of the finance authorities.
He said successive governments blamed NFC issues without taking concrete measures. In reply, Aftab Alam described NFC and economic management as the backbone of governance and supported holding a dedicated assembly session for an in-depth discussion on the issue.
The speaker informed the House that the relevant department had sought more time to submit its response, though the concerned member demanded accountability over what he termed departmental inefficiency.