NWFP Health Department has constituted Provincial Advocacy Committee for Provincial AIDS Control Programme with MPA Qazi Asad as chairman and MPA Mian Nisar Gul as co-chairman. The committee comprises members from religious leaders, media-men, NGOs and opinion leaders.
According to the TOR, framed for the committee, the body will provide support to all initiatives on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Similarly, the body will actively participate in provincial level events for sensitisation and social mobilisation against stigma and discrimination and local resource generation for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
The committee, in addition, to create awareness about HIV/AIDS at all levels would provide guidance to steering committee, provincial technical advisory committee on AIDS and Advocacy group in developing similar forums at district level. Moreover, the committee will support adoption of experience of other province adopted to control the disease.
Religious leaders, chosen for the committee, include Qari Roohullah, Dr Iqbal Khalil, Hussain Ahmad, Qari Mahboob-ur-Rehman Qureshi, Zubaida Khatoon and Rehman Ismail. Similarly Ata-ul-Haq, Information Officer; Tariq Saeed, Pak Observer; and Ashfaq Yousafzai, Daily Dawn will include as member from media. Dr Pervez Hayat and Dr Pervin Azam Khan will represent NGOs while Haji Dost Muhammad and Maulana Abdul Jalil Jan are inducted in the body as opinion leaders.