Cartoon on rigging

Bradford students have called for Imran Khan to be sacked as VC

Bradford University Students Want Vice Chancellor Imran Khan Sacked


Bradford students have called for Imran Khan to be sacked as vice chancellor of the university because he has not attended a graduation ceremony since 2010.
Khan, who was appointed in December 2005, has been conspicuous by his absence from the university to the disapproval of the Students Union. The Union has floated a motion to drop the Pakinstani ex-cricketer from the highest post, the Times of Indiahas reported.
The motion, which will be put to a vote next month, was raised by student Mohsin Tanveer, who said: "Many students are unhappy with the fact that they have been denied the opportunity to engage with the chancellor on a regular basis."
imran khan
Imran Khan as not seen in Bradford
The University's chief executive, Professor Brian Cantor, has pleaded with students to show sympathy towards the chancellor as his involvement in Pakistani politics has been cited as the primary reason for his absence.
Cantor said, "Our chancellor has a major political role in Pakistan, a country which has serious problems with terrorism, education and poverty," Cantor told the newspaper.
"While I understand that it is frustrating for students that Khan has not attended an award ceremony at Bradford for some time, I have urged students to be sympathetic to the situation in Pakistan and the responsibility Khan has to improving the state of the country."

FIR filed against MANSHA SANDHU



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UNDP contradicts Imran’s rigging allegations

UNDP contradicts Imran’s rigging allegations

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Marc-Andre Franche has contradicted the allegations of PTI chief Imran Khan regarding the interruption in its election project on May 11, 2013 polling day, saying that none of its consultants were ejected from the offices of the Returning Officers.
The UNDP Country Director also insisted that none of its computers were shut down after the victory speech of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as alleged by Khan on May 11.
Marc-Andre Franche said that none of the consultants were ejected from the offices of Returning Officers or witnessed their computers being shut down.
It may be mentioned that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief alleged in his speech at a public rally in Bahawalpur last week that soon after the ‘victory speech’ of Nawaz Sharif, the data operators stopped sending computerised result copies to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Earlier, the ECP had also denied Khan’s claim that a UNDP election result gathering project was halted after Nawaz Sharif’s speech on May 11 last year.

BAD Governance in KPK | WB cuts grant for healthcare

World Bank cuts grant for healthcare project due to ‘extensive implementation delays’


ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has decided to reduce the duration of a healthcare project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from three years to one year and curtail its grant from $16 to $10.2 million because of extensive implementation delays.
The project was aimed at improving the availability, accessibility and delivery of primary and secondary healthcare services in six districts of the province.
The grant from the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) administered by the World Bank was for strengthening healthcare services in the province, particularly in districts affected by militancy. The project was designed to bring improvement in health management.
An implementation report prepared by the World Bank says that the project has been in ‘problem status’ due to ‘extensive implementation delays’, especially in the procurement process of district management contracts.
According to the report, the project was restructured last month. Its objective remains the same, but the scope of work has been reduced due to limited time available for implementation.
One component of the project has been deleted and allocation for the remaining two components has been reduced.
The allocation of $11 million for a component of the project aimed at revitalising health services has been reduced to $8.2 million and the rehabilitation of health infrastructure component of the project has been deleted.
The allocation for establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation system at the district and provincial level has now been slashed to $2 million from the allocated $4 million.
The administrative arrangements of the project have been changed and an independent project management unit has been established in place of the project managed by health sector reform unit. The project management unit has been transferred directly under the administrative control of secretary health and the project coordinator has been given the requisite financial powers.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has recently finalised its comprehensive development strategy based on which a health sector strategy has been prepared.
Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2014

Khan out of sight for voters since winning NA-56 polls

ISLAMABAD - Over a year back when billboards in the congested NA-56 constituency in Rawalpindi were extolling Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), after he swept the seat in general elections, people of the populous area are now all praise for the leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as Khan is out of sight for the voters.
Roads and streets in NA-56 have been dug up for repair, filtration plants are being repaired and facilitation centres have been set up for residents to file complaints as PML-N’s overdrive for uplift work enters the constituency where it was defeated in last year’s election.
Residents who had voted for PTI are disappointed with Khan for not visiting the constituency since getting elected leaving space for PML-N to cash in on the gap between Khan and his voters in the constituency.
“This area gave 80,000 votes to him (Imran) but he has disappeared since winning the seat. People here have pity problems to discuss with area MNA but it seems as if NA-56 has no representation at all,” Muhammad Yousuf, 38, dealing in real estate business and PTI supporter in Rawalpindi told The Nation.
Data Ganj Bakhsh Road, the main artery running across the congested constituency, was a dusty road until it was dug up on the direction of PML-N MPA Raja Hanif Advocate for repair; a move that has triggered people to display his posters in praise as re-carpeting of the road was a strong demand of the area people.
Not only voters in NA-56 show dismay over the absence of MNA Imran Khan from his constituency but also by the PTI local leadership which thinks the disappearance of their leader might cause things worse for local candidates in next elections.
Though the PTI chief outsmarted PML-N stalwart Hanif Abbasi in NA-56, residents of the area continue to throng the residence of Abbasi in posh Satellite Town for getting their jobs done as the former traders’ union activist have been empowered to be in touch with all government departments after he was appointed as chairman of the multibillion rupee under-construction Metro Bus Project.
From police and district administration in Rawalpindi to Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad, Abbasi is in touch with heads of all provincial and federal government departments related to the bus project, a portfolio according to a senior PML-N member, which is equivalent to status of a federal minister.
Usually opposition MNA and MPAs recommend priority projects in their respective areas to federal and provincial governments through MNAs and MPAs grants or special grants, but Khan has so far not put forth any proposal of uplift project in his constituency.
“I represent NA-56 as MPA and have suggested more than 12 new schemes for the area. But so far MNA Imran Khan has not conceived any new initiative for his constituency. He should visit the area at least,” MPA Raja Hanif told this reporter on phone.
The PTI leadership including its District President Tariq Kayani had recently announced that Imran Khan would visit Rawalpindi and would establish ‘Khidmat Markaz’ for facilitation of voters and supporters; however, so far things are the same.
Some people, who had exhibited strong loyalty to PTI at the cost of making enmity with PML-N during elections, find themselves in a quagmire now as they can neither find Khan nor can approach PML-N leaders for resolving their issues.
Lal Marjan, 48, a shopkeeper in NA-56 near Iqbal Town, is one of the few people who have hoisted PTI flag on house but the relief he had expected from leaders is yet to knock his door.
“Sometimes I think I should remove the party flag because my leader has not approached the area so far and on the other side, the flag may anger the rival political party,” Marjan, who had voted for PTI, said.

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