08 January 2005	Saturday	26 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat to discuss the situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

According to parliamentary secretary of the ARD Izhar Amrohvi, the motion has been signed by 10 members of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N).

He said the ARD parties decided to submit the motion after reports appeared in media that troops of the two countries exchanged heavy gunfire that caused casualties on both sides.

The motion, moved under Rule 92 of the Rules and Procedure for Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 1992, states: "It has been reported in almost every newspaper that Pakistan's mountainous border with Afghanistan at Saidgai in the North Waziristan tribal agency was tense after exchange of fire over the past two days in which a Pakistani paramilitary soldier and a number of Afghan army troops were killed.

It is a serious matter which has caused grave concern among the general public and needs discussion on the floor of the house after adjourning the normal proceedings."

The motion was signed by Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naheed Khan, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rahman, Syed Khurshid Shah, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and Zamarrud Khan from the PPP and Khawaja Asif and Khawaja Saad Rafiq from the PML-N.

Meanwhile, 15 members of the ARD have submitted another adjournment motion with the National Assembly Secretariat seeking a discussion on the "government's move to invite proposals for reforms for Azad Jammu and Kashmir on constitutional, administrative and political matters".

The motion states: "It has been reported that the Azad Kashmir Council has issued advertisements to some English language newspapers that some consultants are required to give proposals to suggest reforms for Azad Jammu and Kashmir on matters pertaining to constitutional, political and administrative affairs.

AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan and a senior politician, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, have also taken serious notice of it. The matter is very serious and caused concern among the general public."

This motion has been signed by Ghulam Murtaza Satti, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Rukhsana Bangash, Fauzia Habib, Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Nayyar Bokhari, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rahman, Syed Khurshid Shah, Tehmina Daultana, Khawaja Asif and Khawaja Saad Rafiq.