NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani has said that we are short of manpower in policing but we have better law and order situation in our province.
The strength of police in Frontier province is 33,000 equal to that of Karachi city alone. Still law and order situation was exemplary and our government was committed to bring marked improvement in police performance.
He was talking to chairman Nadra Brigadier Saleem Ahmad Moeen (Retd) here at Frontier's House, Peshawar on Saturday. Director General, NWFP, Nadra, Brigadier Asif Kamalzeb was also present on the occasion.
The chief minister said that recovery position and efficiency of excise and taxation departments was up to the mark but still we are not in favour of taking isolated incidents of irregularities and corruption for granted. We wanted to give relief to the people and any body becoming hindrance or involving in corruption would be thrown out of the departments and even of the system, he added.
Durrani said that the people in general have genuine complaints from patwari system and he has asked the elected representatives to desist from supporting patwaris. To uproot the weaknesses and corruption in the patwari system, his government has made up its mind to computerise the ownership of land through out the province and to start with Peshawar will be taken as a pilot project where every thing will be corrected and the people would be relieved of all hurdles and problems, he added.
Patwari will be stripped of power to determine the values of land. There will be a fixed rate for five years with proper increase annually. The rates will be affixed conspicuously at all tehsils. However, he added that to make it a success story we would need the co-operation of the people.
The chief minister further said that we have dedicated and honest officials and they will be involved in the process if the patwaris failed to co-operate with the government.
Patwaris in the past used to pay millions of rupees as bribe for postings and transfers while their children enjoyed luxurious life. There was an old stamp mafia who used to make forgery and fake stamp papers indicating un-genuine ownership of land that was an agony for the poor. His government would also take strong exception to it and we would make things right so that the people could get relief, he said, adding corruption in the old stamp papers and fixation of land rates will be eliminated.
Stressing transparency and fairness in the investigation process of registration, the chief minister said that some elements who are involved in drug smuggling with fake identity cards and passports earned a bad name for our country. This is not acceptable. It should be removed.
Durrani appreciated the efforts of former Nadra DG Brigadier Anwar Khan for correcting the zakat fund and expressed the hope that the institution will continue working with the same spirit.
Chairman Nadra on the occasion assured the chief minister that they would co-operate in the reforms programme initiated by the provincial government.