Joint resolution: Lawmakers stand united against ‘undemocratic forces’

Most minutes of assembly spent discussing gas shortage in province.

PESHAWAR: Without directly referring to Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution against the controversial religious scholar.  

The resolution said that the assembly will reject all “undemocratic methods of unelected individuals to postpone elections.”

The resolution read out by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Javed Abbasi, was also signed by Law Minister Arshad Abdullah, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl lawmaker Mufti Kifayatullah, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid parliamentary leader Qalandar Lodhi, Pakistan Peoples Party senior minister Rahim Dad Khan, Qaumi Watan Party’s Sikandar Khan Sherpao and PML-N’s Abdul Sattar Khan.

Abbasi said all political parties should demand the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold timely fair and free elections. He claimed Qadri’s arrival was a conspiracy against democracy.

Without naming the politician who has caused much unease among political groups, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said any power which intends to derail democracy will be contested. Hussain said no one can ask for reforms when a nation is preparing for elections; such demands should have been made four years ago, he said,

He added that obstructing democracy and extending the caretakers’ tenure would pave the way for terrorist groups to create more trouble in the country.

JUI-F lawmaker Hafiz Akhtar Ali added there was a democratic way to reforms, and forces which planned to derail the setup should be discouraged.

Gas load-shedding

An argument about a protest in Karak against non-provision of gas to residents took most of the assembly’s time.

The issue was raised by QWP’s Israrullah Gandapur, who said he arrived late for the assembly session since protesters from Karak had blocked the Indus Highway for two hours. He said the protest was supported by a lawmaker of the house.

Gandapur said that by initiating such demonstrations, lawmakers show that laws are only for government servants and they are immune from restrictions. He asked the assembly speaker to frame the code of conduct for lawmakers so they do not resort to such tactics.

This infuriated JUI-F lawmaker from Karak, Malik Qasim Khattak,who had led the demonstration.

Khattak said that they were law abiding citizens but were forced by government’s actions to come to the streets. “I will continue to fight for the rights of my people on every floor no matter what comes,” he said. He added that the demand was justified, as the government was receiving billions of rupees in royalty of oil and gas production from the district and not providing gas in the area itself.

Dr Iqbal Din Fana also complained about non-provision of gas to residents in Shakardarra in his native Kohat district. He said authorities were not even paying attention to a unanimous resolution of the provincial assembly on the provision of gas to the village.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2013.