17 April 2004	Saturday	26 Safar 1425

PESHAWAR, April 16: The NWFP Assembly on Friday condemned Thursday's the rocket attacks on the city by unidentified terrorists, and said that the attack was a repeat of earlier attacks on the provincial capital.

Opposition MPAs advised the government to organise a grand jirga and find out how Peshawar could be saved from terrorists firing rockets. The opposition held the government responsible for the poor and shabby security arrangements.

Speaking on a point of order, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party urged the Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) - main components of the Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal alliance - to organise the jirgas just as they had organised themselves against the Wana military operation.

He said it was a serious issue as Peshawar is now exposed to the worst kind of violence where rockets were being fired on residential and commercial areas.

Opposition Leader Shahzada Gushtasap said the second rocket attack within a one-month period was an unprecedented incident. The MMA government could not offload the responsibility of this incident on to the shoulders of others, because the maintenance of law and order was a provincial subject, he added.

He said the government could not lessen the seriousness of the incident by comparing it with the other violent activities along the tribal belt. He demanded action against the terrorist gang involved in the rockets attack.

Defending the government, minister for law and parliamentary Malik Zafar Azam said the chief minister had planned to convene a joint meeting of all the parliamentary groups on this issue. This august House had condemned terrorist activities in the past and it would take a joint stand against this incident, he added.

Later, speaking on his adjournment motion against the government's alleged double-standard, Qazi Mohammad Asad Khan from Haripur criticised the MMA government for pushing its opponents towards the wall.

He said the government had not proposed even a single scheme for his (PF-50, Haripur) constituency. The chief minister had issued nine directives, besides host of schemes, for the other constituencies of his district, he added.

He informed the House that he had written letters to the chief minister and minister for education about upgrading some of the schools, provision of furniture and construction of more classrooms in different schools, but the CM refused to reply.

Responding to the chair, education minister replied: "Haripur does not need upgradation of schools. The other three constituencies had been allocated sufficient funds, but the PF-50 does not need such funds". Later, the mover didn't press his motion.

Ghazala Habib of the PPP-S party said that the vacant posts in her constituency had been filled by outsiders from Kala Dhaka. It was an encroachment upon the rights of Mansehra people, she said.

Shahzada Gushtasap, Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Wajihuzzaman and Abdul Akbar endorsed the Privilege motion. After the assurance made by the education minister, the mover didn't press her motion.

Later,the opposition lawmakers spoke about what they described as illegal appointments of Class-IV employees in their districts. They claimed that the education minister had got the 86 people recruited to the vacant posts in Swabi district, which was unjust as the minister had not consulted the other five MPAs from the same district.

Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Mukhtiar Khan Amir Rahman and Khalil Abbas of the ANP, Abdul Akbar Khan, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, Hamid Iqbal and Qurban Ali of the PPP, Israrullah Gandapur and Ghazala Habib of the PPP-S and others denounced the illegal appointments.

Law minister Malik Zafar Azam assured the House that all the MPAs would be consulted on the matter in their respective areas. Later, the Speaker prorogued the session for an indefinite period.

MOTION ADMITTED: The NWFP Assembly on Thursday admitted an adjournment motion moved by Amanullah Haqqani regarding continuous fighting between the Regi and Orakzai tribes over a piece of land which has claimed many lives so for. The mover has urged the House to initiate a debate on the issue and find out a solution to end the bloodbath.

The House also adopted 12 resolutions unanimously about establishment of a provincial journalists foundation for the welfare of journalists and newspaper employees working in the NWFP, establishment of a passport office in Haripur, supply of natural gas to Lower Dir and villages in constituency PF-30, payment of tobacco duty to the NWFP, completion of telephone exchange in Buner, screening of the NWFP Assembly proceedings on PTV World, upgradation of a post office as GPO in Lakki, release of children and innocent women in jails, printing of shelf-life on medicine packs, construction of a tunnel in Malakand and enhancement of Zakat fund from Rs6 million to Rs10 million for the Ayub medical complex and other big hospitals.

Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party presented the resolution for the journalists foundation. Leader of the opposition Shahzada Gushtasap, PML-Q's Mushtaq Ghani, PPP's Abdul Akbar Khan and Sikandar Sherpao of the PPP-S endorsed the resolution. They asked the government to pay seed money for the establishment of the foundation. Abdul Akbar Khan proposed that newspapers owners should also make a contribution in it.