Category: District

Peshawar: Blue Veins and the Provincial Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco and Nicotine Control Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PASTC-KP) have called upon the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department to introduce a PC-1 for Tobacco Control in the provincial budget for the Fiscal Year 2025-2026.

The proposed PC-1 would serve as a critical policy instrument to institutionalize and finance tobacco control measures, ensuring effective implementation of the KP Tobacco Control Roadmap, the Provincial Plan of Action, and Pakistan's commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Tobacco use is a major public health threat, causing life-threatening diseases like cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses. It leads to premature deaths, strains healthcare systems, and increases economic burdens. Secondhand smoke harms non-smokers, including children. Effective tobacco control policies are essential to prevent addiction and protect public health.

Introducing this PC-1 will create essential governmental ownership of tobacco control efforts and provide the necessary resources for public awareness campaigns, enforcement of tobacco control laws, monitoring mechanisms, and capacity building of relevant stakeholders. Despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's significant progress in advancing tobacco control policies, a dedicated budget line for tobacco control has hindered sustainable enforcement and expansion of initiatives to curb tobacco consumption.

Qamar Naseem, Program Manager at Blue Veins, emphasized the importance of integrating tobacco control into the province's financial planning, stating: "The lack of a dedicated budget for tobacco control limits the province's ability to implement long-term strategies to reduce tobacco consumption and its related health hazards.

By introducing a PC-1, the Provincial Health Department will reaffirm its commitment to protecting public health and ensure that the fight against tobacco use is well-funded and effectively enforced. A structured financial allocation will enhance implementation of the KP Tobacco Control Roadmap and strengthen compliance with international commitments under the WHO FCTC."

Usman Afridi, a youth activist advocating for tobacco-free communities, highlighted the need for government-led interventions to protect the younger generation from tobacco addiction: "Young people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are at high risk of falling prey to tobacco and nicotine addiction due to aggressive industry marketing and easy availability of tobacco products.

The introduction of a PC-1 will enable the government to launch targeted interventions, protect youth from the harmful effects of tobacco, and create healthier communities."

Sargodha: A meeting of the board of directors of the Sargodha Waste Management Company (SWMC) was held under the chairmanship of Commissioner Jahanzaib Awan on Wednesday.

CEO SWMC Rana Shahid Imran briefed the board on significant developments. He highlighted that five meetings of the Human Resource Committee and seven of the Procurement Committee were convened to finalize matters which were subsequently approved by the board of directors.

The meeting was informed that interviews for appointment of senior manager monitoring and

senior monitoring officers in 17 tehsils of the division had been completed. Their deployment

is expected within two weeks. The contractors have initiated procurement of machinery and recruitment of staff to enhance operational efficiency.

Dera ismail khan: In a move to enhance cardiac care for heart patients of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Southern districts, a cardiac catheterization laboratory (Cath lab) is being established at District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), Dera Ismail Khan.

Talking to reporter, Hospital Director Dr Farrukh Jameel informed that the tender process for the installation of the facility has been initiated. This new cath lab, he said, will offer life-saving procedures like angiography, angioplasty and Cardiac bypass.

Earlier, Dr. Farrukh said the southern districts were lacking these facilities and the cardiac patients of these areas were referred to big cities like Islamabad, Peshawar and Multan for these procedures.

The infrastructure for this project is near to completion and the facility would be made operational within three months, he mentioned.

He said 'Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is personally interested for early completion of this project.'

Rawalpindi: Ali Dara has won the Islamabad Cup Snooker Championship title, Chaudhry Shahzad was declared the winner of the Masters category, Muzammil Sheikh won the Under-20 and Abu Bakr Chatta won the Under-17 title. More than a hundred players participated in the tournament held at the Shender-41 Snooker Academy organized by the Islamabad Billiards and Snooker Association.

In final match, Ali Dara defeated Faisal Masih by five frames to four after a tough competition and won the honor of becoming the champion. In the final of the Masters category, Chaudhry Shahzad easily won the title by 1-4 against Raheel Wahid. In the final of the Under-20 category, Muzammil Sheikh defeated Barjees Khan by three frames to one, while in the Under-17 category, Abu Bakr Chatta defeated Ghulam Mustafa by 1-3 frames.

Federal Billiards and Snooker Association Senior Vice President Saleem Akhtar Rana, Secretary General Faheem Anwar Khan, MS Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology Dr. Ayaz Haider, Rawalpindi Billiards and Snooker Association President Dr. Aamir Khan, Vice President Malik Asghar and others attended the closing ceremony and distributed prizes among the winning players.

Peshawar: Short-term 15-day courses on graphic designing, e-commerce, and social media marketing are being conducted at Kohat University of Science and Technology, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.

These courses are organized under the management of Cyber Vision International, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Japan. They are specifically designed for the youth of Orakzai and Kurram districts.

A total of 80 women are participating in e-commerce and social media marketing training, while 70 men are enrolled in graphic designing courses. The participants include students, graduates, and young professionals.

The primary aim of this training program is to equip the youth with modern digital skills, enabling them to achieve financial independence and explore new employment opportunities. Through these courses, participants will gain the expertise needed to work on freelance ventures and other digital platforms.

Project Coordinator Bilal Wazir and Trainer Ali Haider stated that these training programs are meticulously designed to empower youth to achieve economic self-reliance. The courses not only familiarize participants with essential digital skills but also provide them with opportunities for financial independence through modern technologies.

It is worth noting that, under this initiative, more than 500 trainees from Orakzai and Kurram have already been trained in various digital skills through short- and long-term training programs.

Peshawar: The Prime Minister's Youth Development Center at the Agricultural University of Peshawar, in collaboration with the Farabi Sciences Hub, organized a one-day awareness session titled "Project and Ideas Presentation."

Over 100 innovative ideas and projects were submitted during the event.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Jahan Bakht, graced the session as the chief guest.

In his address, he highlighted the challenges faced by students pursuing BS, MS, and PhD research, stating that much of the research remains limited to fulfilling degree requirements. Post-graduation, students often exhaust themselves searching for jobs instead of capitalizing on their research.

Dr. Jahan Bakht emphasized the evolving job market, shaped by modern technology, which offers numerous opportunities for educated youth to create employment for themselves and others.

He discussed the university's efforts to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial opportunities. Under the Higher Education Commission's Prime Minister's Youth Development Center initiative, the university aims to launch the Project and Ideas Presentation program across other universities in the province, introducing student projects to industries for commercialization.

The program also seeks to train new students, helping them overcome challenges in starting research and projects. Dr. Jahan Bakht urged participants to take full advantage of the session and plan their future endeavors.

He commended the efforts of Dr. Anwar Ali Shad, Director of Student Counseling, Placement, and Human Resource Development, along with his team, including Kashif Ali and other experts.

Dr. Anwar Ali Shad outlined the objectives of the session, while Kashif Ali presented insights into the future of work and hybrid/remote models. Guest of Honor Tamim Uddin delivered a talk on Amazon Web Services Cloud Computing. MS students Saira Gohar, Chashman Ali Khan, Hiba Tanveer, Tajdar Alam Khan, Kamran Ali, Ali Raza, Muhammad Saleh, and Abdul Aziz showcased their projects.

Concluding the event, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jahan Bakht praised the students for their dedication and distributed certificates of appreciation among them.