Ministers stay away from discussing security

In assembly, opposition say govt is indifferent, raises question on police force

PESHAWAR: The opposition members of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly lashed out at the government over deteriorating law and order in the province, saying the government was merely a silent spectator.

“The provincial government is playing the role of a silent spectator,” Awami National Party parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said during the assembly session on Tuesday. “The provincial government thinks ANP was wiped away from the Parliament because of its open fight against terrorism and remains silent to save themselves [from encountering s a similar fate]. We will not accept this.”

Babak also criticised the government for victimising the vice chancellor of Bacha Khan University for the attack on the varsity. He also pointed towards the parties who protested against the court’s decision in Mumtaz Qadri’s case.

The ANP leader then turned towards PTI chief Imran Khan, saying, “Imran is also silent because he has eyes on the prime minister’s seat and doesn’t want to displease [people of] Punjab.”

Absence of ministers

The session was dedicated by K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to the security situation of the province. However, the sitting could not attract the ministers. A majority of the benches on the treasury sides were empty and in their speeches the opposition members criticised the ministers for their “non-serious approach” towards the most sensitive issue of the province.

The opposition leader from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Maulana Lutfur Rahman, voiced his anger over the absence of government ministers and members in the house. About the indifference of the provincial government, Rahman gave the example of Afghan children during war who would rush to grab unexploded missiles so that they could sell them.

Spate of violence

Rahman lauded the decline in bomb blasts following Operation Zarb-e-Azb. However, he drew attention to the increase in crimes such as extortion and kidnapping for ransom in K-P because the provincial government did not take benefit of the operation.

“Peace and economy are interlinked – even the circulation of English newspapers has dropped because our educated class is leaving,” he added.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha said the government has repeatedly said they have depoliticised the police and now not a single minister can dare to criticise the police over poor performance.

In response

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Higher Education Mushtaq Ghani responded to the criticism by Babak.

“During your government, your own leadership had fled from the province due to law and order, now in our government the situation is much better,” he said.

About the police, Ghani said they depoliticised the force by improving their skills. He shed light on the performance of police, which included conducting search and strike operations, detaining 62,000 people, searching 400,000 houses and carried out snap-checks.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2016.