NA condemns killing of four female workers in Waziristan

ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly Friday condemned the killing of four female workers in North Waziristan, apprehending that terrorists were regrouping in the erstwhile tribal areas which are now part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, parliamentarians from the ruling party dragged the issue of the arrest of the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Shaikh, in the debate which created disturbance in the House. PPP member Agha Rafiullah pointed out quorum in the House while Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry was grilling the Sindh government about the arrest of Haleem Adil and keeping him in prison in "adverse conditions."

Fawad Chaudhry said the Indian media had raised the issue of reported marriage of a JUI-F leader with a 13-year old girl, which also earned a bad name to the country. “It is disturbing news and the act is against the Child Marriage Act,” he said amid a protest from JUI-F members. "The JUI-F parliamentary leader in the house should at least contradict the report if no such incident has happened," he added.

Earlier, Zahid Akram Durrani from the JUI-F demanded the federal government announce a special package for the families of female workers. “Both federal and provincial governments should announce a special package for the families," he demanded.

Mohsin Dawar warned the government that terrorists were regrouping in the former tribal areas. Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the PML-N, referring to recent by-elections in Kurram, said it was still difficult to visit many areas and run an election campaign. Ms Zille Huma from the ruling PTI also expressed concerns over the killings. “All political parties should ponder over the situation to avert such incidents in future,” she said. Speaker Asad Qaisar referred the issue of the killings and kidnapping of 10 people to the standing committee on interior.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said the government had taken serious notice of the tragic incident. He said numerous sacrifices had been given for peace in the country and the whole nation was united against terrorism.

Dr Shahnaz Baloch expressed concern over the plight of working women in the country, saying that recently midwives had staged a protest outside the parliament and one of them died during the demonstration. “Imran Khan claimed of providing jobs to women, improving their nutrition and reducing the mortality rate but instead they are struggling for protection, particularly in Balochistan,” she said. Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also condemned the incident, saying that Islam does not allow terrorism in any kind and asked the government to provide protection to working women.

PTI parliamentarian Saifur Rehman, while condemning the Waziristan incident, diverted the debate to the arrest of Haleem Adil in Karachi, alleging that he was being kept in a small cell, tortured and a snake was released in the cell. “Rao Anwaar, who is a killer of 444 people, is moving freely in Karachi while a political leader has been arrested,” the MNA said, adding that FIRs had been registered against hundreds of PTI workers.

Former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said that arrest of Haleem Adil was an issue of Sindh province and it should be raised in the Sindh Assembly. "If your opposition leader is detained, where are sitting opposition and former opposition leaders in the National Assembly,” he questioned.

Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the present government believed that society could not move forward unless women were given equal rights. He said the whole house was worried about the arrest and the circumstances in which Haleem was detained. “Not only the National Assembly Speaker but also the ruling party members have seen the rude behavior of opposition members,” he said. Agha Rafiullah of the PPP protested against the remarks of the minister and pointed out quorum and the proceedings were adjourned until Monday evening.