ISLAMABAD: Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafari demanded on Thursday that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and interior minister should be called in Senate over the recent killings in Kurram district and deteriorating law and order situation there.
Speaking on his calling attention notice on the deteriorating law and order situation in Kurram, loss of lives and shortage of medicines and food items due to closure of Peshawar-Parachinar Road, he claimed the message sent from PTI founder to KP CM for removal of Kurram DC was ignored. Clashes in Kurram could have been averted had the DC been removed on time, he added.
“First, the CM did not pay heed to a message for the DC’s removal. Then I met Imran Khan in jail and told him about the critical situation in the region. His message was sent to the CM for removing the DC, but it was not implemented,” the senator revealed. Raja Nasir wondered what kind of provincial government was in place in KP, and what steps it had taken so far for restoring peace in Kurram.
He regretted that neither the provincial nor the federal government and security agencies had played their role to bring peace in Kurram. The MWM lawmaker recalled that a teacher, who had been teaching in Teri Mengal area, was brutally murdered but people there remained calm.
Then, he continued, a convoy was recently attacked in a systematic way and many lives were lost, including those of women and children. Even a six-month-old infant was shot dead. In reaction, the other side resorted to killings. “We condemn the loss of innocent lives in these two incidents. But the question is why such things were allowed to happen?” he argued.
The senator called for constituting a house committee, which should visit the region, meet people and assess the situation there. “The CM, chief secretary, IGP, whoever he is, should be summoned here if rules permit, and they should be asked about their indifference and lack of interest,” he suggested. He also wanted interior minister to be questioned on the matter.
He dispelled the impression that bloodletting in Parachinar was due to some land dispute, and pointed out that there were certain powers, which did not like unity in people, and they wanted division among the people of the area.
Senator Nasir said the road leading to Parachinar was closed for over two months and people could have only one-time meal owing to shortage of food items while medicines were short across the region. He said students, who study outside Kurram, remained stranded due to road closure. He called for immediate opening of the road, urging all senators to raise their voice against it.
Allama Nasir came down hard on what he called the incapable spokesman for KP government, who knew nothing about the situation. “Such people are enough for destruction of PTI government. The spokesman says there is no shortage of medicines. Allow independent journalists to visit the area and ask people about it. There is neither provincial nor federal government there currently,” he regretted.
Speaking on behalf of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain said all were responsible for the gory incidents in Kurram. He said bad news were coming from the area for many years, but all kept mum. He claimed the prime minister and his government had repeatedly offered help and assistance to the provincial government, but there had been no response from the other side. However, he contended that primarily the law and order should have been the provincial government’s top priority. If it was a land dispute, even then, the provincial government’s revenue department was responsible for finding a solution. He recalled that recently, the KP governor, being the federal government’s representative, had organised an all-party conference, but the provincial chief executive stayed away. “At least, there should be no politics on such critical matters,” he argued.
At the outset, JUIF Senator Kamran Murtaza urged Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani to adjourn the routine business and hold a discussion on the boat incident in Greece and the sanctions imposed on four Pakistani organisations by the US.
Later, the journalist fraternity walked out in protest over filing of dozens of cases against media persons. Reporters said registration of cases against media persons should be stopped immediately. The Senate chairman sent Senator Saleem Mandiwala, Senator Aon Abbas and Senator Haji Hidayatullah to meet the protesting journalists. On their return, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar gave certain assurances in this connection to journalists.
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