Prisoner exchange: Sindh Assembly wants Taliban to match ‘goodwill gesture’

Pass resolution for safe release of Prof. Ajmal Khan, Ali Haider Gilani, Shahbaz Taseer.

KARACHI:

Amid the ongoing negotiations between the Taliban and the government, Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Monday recommending the federal government secure the safe release of Professor Ajmal Khan, Ali Haider Gilani, Shahbaz Taseer and other innocent captives in Taliban’s custody. 

The resolution, which was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Sharmila Faruqui, said, “It has been stated by the federal interior minister that 19 Taliban prisoners have been released till now and 13 more are being considered to be released as a “goodwill gesture” to help the ongoing peace dialogue. Therefore, the federal government negotiating committee should ensure that this gesture is reciprocated by the Taliban.”

Faruqui, in her brief speech, said that Ali Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was kidnapped in May last year and Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, was abducted in 2011, but both have not yet been released.  “It is being widely claimed that all non-combatant prisoners will be released. We want to hear when this will apply to these innocents as well,” she added.

Opposition parties all supported the resolution, but they were divided on the issue of negotiations between the government and the Taliban. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Khalid Ahmed said the government is negotiating with those who had beheaded Pakistan security personnel and killed many innocent citizens. “It seems like the killings and the blasts have put the government on a back foot,” he said.



Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khurrum Sher Zaman, while lauding the government’s efforts, said the negotiations with the militants have saved the lives of many. “There are no more blasts and the killings have stopped. The credit equally goes to our chairman as well,” he added.

The house also condemned the Ministry of Water and Power’s decision and adopted a resolution to reduce Karachi’s electricity to 350 MW, which, according to lawmakers, would increase load-shedding and will badly affect the commercial as well residential sectors in the metropolis.

The resolution was moved by MQM MPA Kamran Akhtar.

The MPAs of the provincial assembly also lashed out at the federal minister Abid Sher Ali on his statement that people of Karachi and other districts of Sindh are “big thieves” who don’t pay for electricity.

In a separate resolution, the provincial assembly also condemned the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) decision to increase the electricity tariff for Karachi by up to 70%. The joint resolution moved by lawmakers read: “Keeping in view the fact that rates of diesel and petrol have been decreased and the US dollar rate has also declined, there is no justification to put unnecessary burden on the people of Karachi who are already under lot of pressure due to inflation, poverty as well as overbilling. The house resolves and recommends the government of Sindh approach the federal government to instruct NEPRA not to increase the electricity tariff.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2014.