The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly unanimously passed two resolutions on Tuesday, condemning drone attacks in Pakistan and killings of Muslims in Myanmar.
The resolution against drone attacks, the wording of which stirred a heated debate among treasury and opposition benches, was reached upon after omission of words against a military operation in North Waziristan Agency. The latter phrase was insisted upon by opposition benches, but the treasury did not agree to it.
“This house demands of the federal government that drone attacks that are affecting the country’s safety and integrity and are killing innocent citizens should be stopped at once by taking serious and necessary steps in this regard so that it might be a source of solace for the people of Pakistan,” the resolution said.
PML-N parliamentary leader Pir Sabir Shah presented the Myanmar resolution in the assembly. The parliament condemned state oppression on religious grounds and expressed its solidarity with those ‘oppressed’ in Myanmar.
The resolution to which the house unanimously extended its ayes further stated that the federal government should use its platforms both through ambassadorial and regional influence and play an effective role in highlighting and raising a voice for the Muslim victims of Myanmar at the United Nations and other international forums so that no one is victimised on religious grounds.
Earlier, following the agenda of the house and speaking on point of order, MPA Javed Tarakai raised the issue of destruction of schools in Dagai-Swabi at the hands of miscreants and the slow pace of reconstruction. Speaker Kiramatullah Chagharmatti also asked the Education Minister Sardar Hussain Babak why two schools damaged in his (Babak’s) constituency had not been reconstructed in the past two years.
Babak insisted that all efforts were being made to reconstruct schools damaged across the province. He added that besides law enforcement personnel, elected representatives and residents should also be vigilant against anti-state elements.
Provincial spokesperson Mian Iftikhar Hussain added that people themselves should make committees and take a stand against such acts.
PPP parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar Khan on a call attention notice raised the issue of the promotion policy of primary schools teachers, which was recently put into place by the finance department. He said that due to the new qualification requirement teachers serving for the last 20 years will become junior to those newly recruited on PST posts, since now an F.A, F.Sc qualification is required instead of matriculation.
Babak replied by saying that the current government has upgraded PST scales and now they are recruited on grade-12 instead in grade-7. People hired 20 years ago should have increased their qualification, he said.
The house also debated the issues of Pawaris who are on duty in the revenue department for several years without being transferred.
Mufti Kifayat, Javed Abbassi, Saqibullah Khan asked why Patwaris were not transferred for years and what kind of reforms the revenue department had made so far.
Revenue Minister Shuja Khan said that he has worked out the matter and within the next two days those Patwari’s which have completed two years of service at one station will be duly transferred.
The house was adjourned until 4pm on Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2012.
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