K-P condemns Indian brutalities in Kashmir

Counsels New Delhi to opt for friendly ties or its actions would jeopardise regional security

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution condemning Indian atrocities in the occupied Kashmir.

The resolution warned the Indian government to immediately stop brutalities on the Kashmiri people, adding that if cruelties continued, they would have serious repercussions. Fakhar Azam Khan of PPP moved the resolution, bearing signatures of all lawmakers.



The house also resolved that as a neighbouring country, India should opt for friendly relations, otherwise its actions would jeopardise regional security. Parliamentary leader of ANP Sardar Hussain Babak called for improving relations between the two countries to deter wars.



“India and Pakistan must strive to resolve their problems and try to change their dismal domestic conditions such as poverty, joblessness and lawlessness, instead of talking about wars,” Babak said, adding that wars were no solutions to problems and issues should be resolved amicably.

“Both countries, along with Afghanistan, China and Iran, need to discard the environment of confrontation for the sake of regional peace.”

Criticizing elements both in Pakistan and India focusing on war rhetoric, he said that both sides should shun talk of war and stop sharing provocative material on social media.

Bakht Baidar Khan of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) also criticized Indian aggression and said that the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas stood in solidarity with the Pakistan Army. “India should know that if it tried to attack Pakistan, it will pay dearly just like it suffered in the 1965 war.”



The house also adopted a resolution against the rising trend of violence against women. Meraj Humayun of QWP moved the resolution submitted by the KP Women Parliamentary Caucus.

“We demand that provincial and federal authorities must … take immediate action against perpetrators of such dreadful crimes,” the resolution reads.

The house did not finish its agenda, including the tabling of KP Public Private Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2016 because of the absence of lawmakers of treasury benches.

Earlier, the Zakat and Ushr department came under fire over alleged unfair distribution of scholarships, Jahaiz grants and funds for Madressahs in PK-71.

Fakhar Azam Khan told the house that the record provided by the department contained irregularities. Azam had asked the department to provide data on funds distributed in his constituency by the department.

Azam alleged that in some cases Zakat committee members either belonged to a single family or were from the same village.

Later, the matter was referred to the committee concerned for further deliberations.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2016.