DLP Report
\nPESHAWAR
\nKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law Aftab Alam Advocate has said that the reorganization and restructuring of the Civil Defence Department would enhance the institution\u2019s capacity and ensure a timely and effective response to natural and man-made disasters.
\nHe added that strengthening the structure of Civil Defence in line with modern requirements would not only improve inter-provincial and national coordination but also enable better utilization of the skills of its volunteers.
\nHe expressed these views while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation in Peshawar. The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Agriculture Major (R) Sajjad Barkwal, Minister for Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Naik Muhammad Dawar, Minister for Social Welfare, Women Empowerment and Special Education Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Communication and Works Muhammad Sohail Afridi, Special Secretary Home Department Zubair Ahmad, Additional Secretary Home (Security) Muhammad Qaiser, Deputy Secretary Home (Defence Planning Cell) Qalat Khan, along with officials from other relevant departments. The purpose of the committee\u2019s formation was to review the proposed plan of bringing the Directorate of Civil Defence under the administrative control of the Home Department.
\nThe meeting was informed that the Civil Defence Organization was first established in 1952, while in 1971 it began operating at the provincial level under the Home Department. In 2013, it was shifted to the Relief Department to enable close coordination in responding to natural disasters and emergencies. Civil Defence volunteers have since played important roles in firefighting, water rescues, enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions, and community awareness campaigns.
\nThe Relief Department maintained that since its primary framework is to deal with natural and human-made disasters, it is more suitable to keep Civil Defence under its domain to directly utilize trained volunteers. However, the Home Department pointed out that in other provinces Civil Defence functions under Home Departments, and the federal government has repeatedly recommended aligning it with the Home Department for consistency.
\nThe Law Department informed the meeting that the provincial government has the authority to amend the Rules of Business to change the mandate of any department, subject to consultation between the Chief Minister and the Governor. The Establishment Department added that the matter should ultimately be placed before the provincial cabinet for a final decision.
\nIt was decided that the Cabinet Committee on Legislation would consider the views of all departments before submitting its recommendations to the provincial cabinet. On the occasion, the Law Minister directed that the reasons for the 2013 decision to shift Civil Defence from the Home Department to the Relief Department be presented in the next meeting. Major (R) Sajjad Barkwal suggested that a detailed comparative review of the positive and negative aspects of placing Civil Defence under any department should also be prepared.
\nMinister for Social Welfare, Women Empowerment and Special Education Syed Qasim Ali Shah proposed that the representation of Civil Defence\u2019s 30,000 volunteers should be ensured in the decision-making process.
\nSpecial Assistant Muhammad Sohail Afridi noted that while several departments already fall under the Home Department, placing Civil Defence and its 30,000 volunteers under it could further improve performance, which the committee should consider as a central point.
\nAftab Alam Advocate also stressed the need for representation of senior members of the Civil Defence Association or district-level leadership in discussions regarding the proposed decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DLP Report PESHAWAR Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law Aftab Alam Advocate has said that the reorganization and restructuring of the Civil Defence Department would enhance the institution\u2019s capacity and ensure a timely and effective response to natural and man-made disasters. He added that strengthening the structure of Civil Defence in line with modern requirements would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-506153","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n