KP Assembly resolution seeks framing of laws for adoption of children

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding framing of laws for adopting children.

Moved by Nighat Yasmin Orakzai of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the resolution recommended to the provincial government to frame laws about adopting children with ‘controversial’ parenthood.

She maintained that there were no laws about adoption of children and a child could be adopted by submitting an application. She pointed out that there was no mechanism to make sure whether the child was going to receive education and will be brought up properly.

There should also be computerised data of adopted children so that they did not fall into wrong hands, the resolution read.

The mover said the adopted children faced difficulties in getting the national identity cards and educational documents and domicile certificates so laws should be framed to facilitate them.

She said that a bill if passed would help protect the future of adopted children as there would be checks in place to see how the child was brought up and educated to make him/her a useful citizen. Supporting the resolution, Minister for Labour Shaukat Yousafzai said the government and opposition would join hands to make the necessary laws.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan, who presided over the session, ruled that all government departments, including the Excise and Taxation and the police, should immediately replace the number plate of vehicles and logo on traffic police uniform inscribed with the abbreviation KP.

He said number plates of official vehicles should be replaced first. He was responding to the complaint of Awami National Party (ANP)’s Shagufta Malik that almost all the government departments were still using the abbreviation KPK for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite the fact that the Assembly had clarified that the actual abbreviation was KP and not KPK.

The speaker has also time and again ruled that KP be used as an abbreviation but the bureaucracy was intentionally using the wrong abbreviation to deprive Pakhtuns of their identity, she alleged.

She warned of bringing a privilege motion if the matter was not taken seriously and the wording on number plates and official communication was not corrected.

Shaukat Yousafzai also said that KP was the actual abbreviation and it should be followed by all the departments in documents and communication.

The members also debated the issue of payment to the affectees of militancy in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), particularly to the ones hailing from Waziristan.

Raising the issue, ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said the tribal people were displaced during the militancy and military operations and their houses were demolished.

He pointed out that the government announced house compensation for the affectees though it was a meagre amount of Rs400,000 for fully damaged house but even this amount wasn’t paid to the affectees.

He said the tribal people had suffered losses of business and properties besides loss of family members and they needed government attention.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) member from South Waziristan, Hafiz Hassamuddin complained that people from the area remained displaced for almost 10 years but they found their houses destroyed when they returned.

“Some of them were paid the compensation amount but more are still awaiting the assistance and in many areas even surveys have not been carried out,” he added.

The government should make the payment process easy and ensure early payments to the affectees, he said.

Mir Kalam Wazir, independent lawmaker hailing from North Waziristan, said the law and order situation had worsened to a great extent in the province, particularly in the newly merged districts.

He also referred to the killing of the four youngsters in Janikhel area in Bannu and the attack on the Hindu temple in Karak.

He said tribal feuds and land disputes had claimed many lives in Waziristan and asked the government to take steps to avoid more bloodshed.

Earlier during the question-hour, the House was told that upgrading of the outdated electricity transmission lines and gridstations and feeders in the province was taking place.

It was informed that Rs45 billion were required for the upgrading of the power distribution system out of which Rs25 billion had been committed by the federal government and the remaining Rs20billion would be provided by the provincial government. The session was adjourned till Monday.