Teeth Maestro by Dr. Awab Alvi

There are many people who ask what has PTI / KPK Government been doing in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to counter the terrorist threat to the people living in the province and also to the school children of the area specially after the tragic Army Public School attack on 16th December which claimed the lives of over 140 school children.

We have compiled a short list of action items taken by the PTI govt in KPK

1. KPK has almost 37,000 Schools.  5,000 of them are without boundary walls. KP Government had a 3 year plan of putting all the missing basic facilities in the 37,000 schools which included Boundary Walls, Toilets, Clean Water, Furniture, 6 Classrooms for Primary Schools, etc. Now the priority has shifted to finishing the Boundary Walls in all schools within an year about Rs. 1bn has already been allocated to the department with a promise of additional funds as per requirement of each school
2. KPK Govt has also pledged to spend Rs. 11 Billion on Security Arrangements in Schools. Expenses will include Equipment and Training of School Staff
3. The Threat Levels to each school has been categorized in three slabs as Low, Medium and High. All the schools are getting uniform security arrangements as per their threats level
4. The arrangements include an 8 Feet High Boundary Wall, Razor Wires, CCTV Cameras, Armed Guards, Jersey Barriers, SOS Alert service, Alarm Systems and PODs (Professor on Duty) according to their needs
5. The KP Government has again requested in writing to the Federal Government to return the FC to the province to control the No-Man Land between the Tribal and the settled area.
6. KP Police already sensed this threat and were already preparing for it and that is precisely the reason that they initiated police training schools like the School of Investigation, School of Tactics, School of Intelligence and Specialized training to the Elite force for Counter Terrorism. All these training schools are operational and law enforcement personnel are being trained.
7. Counter Terrorism Police Unit in KPK getting professional training to be fully equipment to combat Terrorists.
8. KP Government has close liaison with National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) to ensure timely intelligence and response in case of an ongoing or a perceived threat
9. Police Patrolling has been increased and Citizen Watch Committees have been erected to watch the Neighbourhoods.
10. Children of the last attack are being treated in all Hospitals and we only have two remaining victims who are presently admitted in LRH and are undergoing treatment.
11. CM KP has announced that in case of an injury that cannot be treated within the country, the Government of KP is willing to bear all the treatment expenses of these children abroad to ensure the best possible care for them. (This was announced for a child suffering from Nerve Injury after the attack at APS).
12. KP Government is also keeping a close liaison with Public to implement any suggestions or ideas.
13. KP Government has decided to name the schools after the martyred child in the native districts of Shuhadas.
14. A major Roundabout in Peshawar will also be named after the Shuhadas of APS
15. Archives Library will be renamed
16. A conference room in the Provincial Assembly has already been renamed after Mrs. Qazi, the shaheed principal of APS
17. KPK Govt orders to terminate illegal Afghanistan Mohajirs from all Govt & private jobs
18. To counter terrorism and improve security of the people and public property, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has enacted three special laws within a short time:
    • Restriction of Rented Buildings Act
      The KP Restriction of Rented Buildings Act 2014 requires the landlords renting their properties to do so only after proper background verification and provision of sureties by the tenant. The law further requires the landlord and tenants to get registered with the concerned police stations after submitting their particulars. Failure to do so is a cognisable offence and involvement of tenant in any terrorism activities in such a case entails vicarious liability for the landlord as well.
    • Restriction of Hotel Businesses Act
      The KP Restriction of Hotel Businesses Act 2014 requires all hotels, inns, motels and rest houses to get registered with the concerned police station and to ensure provision of guest lists to the local police station on a daily basis. The law makes it mandatory for the hotel management to record complete particulars of each guest and verify their identities and to inspect the baggage of each guest.
    • Security of Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishments and Places Act
      The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Security of Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishments and Places Act 2014 requires the owners/management of public and profit making private establishments to make appropriate security arrangements for the safety of such establishments and places. Based on the target hardening theory, the law aims to make it mandatory for all such public and private places to perform their social responsibility. This law makes it mandatory for the police force to regularly check these establishments for ensuring the implementation of its objectives.
19. In order to effectively check terrorism-related incidents, the KP police have sought permission for allowing them direct access to phone intercepts, NADRA database and FIA’s database on travel history besides provision of necessary equipment and software for boosting its intelligence gathering capabilities!
20. KP Govt has issued a provincial ban on all hate, sectarian and extremist literature as well as radical speeches. District police officers have been requested to form vigilance committees to eradicate the dissemination of books, pamphlets, CDs and other similar material which could be disruptive to provincial peace.
21. CM KPK announce a compensation package of Rs 2 million for the families of APS victims (link)

The KPK govt is fully geared to protecting its citizens in the time of crisis as best as it possibly can.

Researched & Compiled by Jibran Illyas & Najiullah Khattack