K-P Assembly session on peace turns into war of words

A special session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, convened to consult on the province's law-and-order situation and propose effective measures for peace, ironically descended into political point-scoring, blame games and verbal crossfire on Tuesday, with little substantive progress made.

The session, chaired by Muhammad Idrees after a three-hour delay, suffered from poor attendance on both treasury and opposition benches. The repeated quorum breaks, along with the absence of several provincial ministers, further disrupted proceedings.

Opening the debate after the recitation of the Holy Quran, PML-N MPA Farukh Khan warned that terrorism was rearing its head again. "This province was once the cradle of peace, home to the Gandhara civilisation, but then a time came when it was drenched in blood," he lamented.

He said the public looked to the House with expectations. Recalling Nawaz Sharif's tenure as prime minister, he claimed it had brought peace to the country, and emphasised that the nation now required the "same spirit".

"Since the 18th Amendment, law and order has been a provincial subject. The story must begin here, with positive proposals from this House. In times of crisis, governments and oppositions work together … we must get on the same page and make history by truly representing our province."

However, he pointed out that the province can seek help from the federation. "We cannot endure more lost lives, broken homes, and abandoned lands. Speeches alone will not do, the government must take the lead, and we are ready to stand with it."

Ali Shah said the situation was forcing people from Bajaur to flee their homes. "My heart bleeds for them. Conditions in Balochistan and K-P are deteriorating. In Punjab, there is neither an operation nor any drone strike, but our borders have become insecure."

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Sohail Afridi pointed out that no opposition member had spoken against military operations in the merged districts, whereas PTI's entire leadership had opposed the move alongside the provincial government.

To this day, the leaders of opposition parties have neither taken a clear position nor issued a statement against the operations. The blood of the Pashtuns continues to be traded," he said.

Afridi lashed out at the Awami National Party, saying that "a party led by Aimal Wali cannot lecture us on political maturity".

"Political speeches will not achieve anything. Not a single opposition member condemns the operation. During the regime change episode, all opposition parties were part of the London Plan. These people want to disrupt the province's peace once again."

A self-created law-and-order situation has been engineered in the province, he alleged and added that the PTI, under any circumstances, support military action in the province.