K-P assembly opposes Hajj subsidy withdrawal

Opposition criticises treasury over PAC chairmanship, development funds and functioning of standing committees

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, in spite of having a majority of PTI, passed a resolution against the decision of the federal government to increase Hajj expenses.

It is a rare incident in political history that the same party is in government in the province and the centre and the provincial legislature passes a unanimous resolution against the federal government.

The provincial house also passed a resolution demanding a distribution company like Pesco for the Malakand division.

The K-P Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution demanding from the federal government to review a recent increase in Hajj expenditure and restore the government subsidy on Hajj expenses.

The resolution was moved by Sahibzada Sanaullah of PPP also endorsed by government and other opposition members.

The resolution says that the recent increase in Hajj expenditures has disappointed low-income people and deprived them of performing Hajj.

Similarly, another resolution moved by Inayatullah Khan of Jamat Islami demanded setting up of an organisation like Pesco to address the issue of power generation and distribution in Malakand.

Meanwhile, the house also unanimously passed a resolution moved by Nighat Orakzai of PPP demanding provision of psychiatrist counselling to the children of the deceased persons in Sahiwal incident.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Affairs Management Immovable Properties Ordinance, 2018, The Code of Civil Procedure (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (Amendment) Bill, 2019, The KP Specific Relief Amendments) Bill, 2019, The KP Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and The KP Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was tabled in the house.

The opposition in K-P Assembly took a strong exception to the government not issuing notification for constituting a parliamentary committee to probe into the Billion Tree Tsunami project, removing ANP’s Khushdil Khan from the chairmanship of Standing Committee for Agriculture and not releasing development funds to the lawmakers.

The treasury benches gave the opposition the assurance of resolving the issues after they criticised the government for retaining chairmanship of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and standing committees.

The leader of the Opposition, Akram Khan Durrani, speaking on a point of order, criticised the government for neglecting opposition in the chairmanship of PAC, distribution of developmental funds and other issues.

He said the opposition wants a friendly environment and good relations with the government abiding by traditions of KP Assembly but unfortunately, the government failed to fulfill its promises and pledges.

Akram Durrani said that chairmanship of PAC was the right of the leader of the opposition while the chairmanship of a standing committee is the right of other opposition parliamentarians. He said that opposition should also be given funds on a parity basis.

He said the government had given surety in the house to provide the record of Billion Trees Afforestation Project and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) but did not do anything tangible in this regard yet. He urged the government to maintain working relations with the opposition.

Awami National Party (ANP) parliamentary Leader Sardar Hussain Babak lamented that government has removed Khushdil Khan Advocate from the chairmanship of Agriculture Committee without any reason.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani said that he has got the chairmanship of PAC according to rules and said that treasury benches have also not received any developmental fund. He said that the case of Khushdil Khan was sub judice so nothing could be done in that matter.

Senior Minister Atif Khan said that previous governments had ignored the opposition but PTI government was trying to take opposition with it. He said that a meeting of opposition with the chief minister could be arranged to resolve their issues and problems.

Nighat Orakzai of PPP, Liaqat Khan of PTI also spoke on this occasion. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2019.