Kasur scandal bigger than APS massacre: K-P Assembly

Demands Centre serve exemplary punishment to perpetrators

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed a joint resolution against the Kasur child sexual abuse scandal in Punjab and termed the incident more harrowing than the Army Public School massacre.

Lawmakers demanded the federal government to serve exemplary punishment to perpetrators during the assembly proceedings on Monday. The resolution was tabled by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Nighat Orakzai and received widespread support from opposition and treasury members.

Read: Families accuse police of turning blind eye

Orakzai then proceeded with criticising Peshawar Electric Supply Company for conducting prolonged power outages across the province. Most members of the house, including Speaker Asad Qaiser, agreed with her and spoke about the “injustices committed by the federal government and the Water and Power Development Authority.”

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who usually delivers fiery speeches on the subject, was relatively calm possibly due to the violent protests in various parts of the province where mobs torched Pesco offices, inflicting hefty losses on the company. “Power theft in certain areas is causing the whole province to suffer,” Khattak said. He added K-P’s daily share in the national grid is 13.7% but it has been receiving only 10% since 2008.

Some lawmakers, including Qaumi Watan Party’s Bakht Baidar Khan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Munawar Khan suggested the house to protest at the Tarbela Dam against the injustice so that the people know their leaders stand with them.

Minister for Public Health Engineering Shah Farman was also critical of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and said such treatment is bound to ignite hatred among the people.

Read: Police play down Kasur child porn scandal

"PML-N is pushing Pakistan on the brink of breaking off into pieces." Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan said cabi net members and local MPAs are at the receiving end of public outrage. Awami National Party leader Sardar Hussain Babak urged all parties to unite for the cause of the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2015.