November 01, 2006	Wednesday	Shawwal 8, 1427

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PESHAWAR, Oct 31: The NWFP assembly unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the killing of about 100 religious students in bombing on a seminary in a Bajaur village on Monday and asked the federal government to stop bloodshed of Pakhtuns and adopt people-friendly policies.

Abdul Akbar Khan of Pakistan People’s Party, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of Awami National Party, Maulana Fazle Ali of Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal and Dr Saleem Khan of independent group jointly moved the resolution, demanding early payment of compensation to the legal heirs of the dead and to the injured. They urged the government to change its internal and external policies and share in peace efforts being made at the international level. The movers said they condemned anti-Pukhtun and anti-Muslim policies of Islamabad.

Earlier, Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan suspended day’s business on the request of Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Malik Zafar Azam and allowed lawmakers to vent their anger against the killing of innocent people in Bajaur agency.

Abdul Akbar said killing of children and students inside the seminary led to a question whether it was the only and the last attack of its nature or Pakistan would continue to face more such mishaps in future. He said the government had tried to create confusion by claiming responsibility of these extra-judicial killings while DG ISPR Maj-Gen Shoukat Sultan had tried to deceive the nation by saying that it was an operation against militants hiding in the seminary. He said the US media had termed it an action against Aiman Al Zawahri.

The MPA said that representatives of the NWFP governor were about to sign a peace agreement with religious and tribal leaders in Bajaur on Monday and the political administration had already released nine detainees belonging to a religious group as a goodwill gesture to sign the agreement.

He said if there were terrorists in the area, the political administration was competent enough to arrest and punish them. Mr Khan observed that Pakistani rulers had taken responsibility of a crime committed by the United States on their shoulders to prolong their unlawful rule.

He said the US and its agents were unhappy over the peace agreement and soon after its signing the commander of Nato forces accused Pakistan of facilitating infiltration into Afghanistan.

He said the generals had sold lives and properties of the Pukhtuns to the US for millions of dollars and Gen Musharraf was acting like a contracted murderer. Mr Khan said the enemies of Pakistan had politicised its army and depoliticised its political forces.

He indirectly held religious forces responsible for the present political clout of the armed forces because, he said, they had extended support Gen Yahya Khan in 1970, to Gen Ziaul Haq in 1977 and Gen Musharraf on the issue of 17th amendment. He asked the MMA to join the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy if it wanted to rid the country of military rule.

On the request of Israrullah Gandapur, the speaker expunged the words, contracted murderer attributed to Gen Musharraf but he did not expunge words ‘human-trafficker’ used for Gen Musharraf by Bashir Ahmed Balour.

Provincial Minister Zafar Azam said in the past also fighter planes of the US attacked Damadola area of Bajaur but the US had refused to accept its responsibility. Once again, he said, the US had refused to take the responsibility of the killing of about 100 people while Maj-Gen Shaukat Sulatan had ‘confessed’ that Pakistan army killed the innocent people of Bajaur. He said rulers were trying to protect the core interest of the United States in this part of the world. He said it was not an operation but extra-judicial killings.

Saeed Ahmed Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League held Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao responsible for the incident and demanded his immediate resignation. He said Fata was a federal concern and the interior minister was responsible for the incident taking place in this region.

Nighat Orakzai of the PML also made a speech in favour of Gen Musharraf before leaving the assembly hall.

Syed Zahir Ali Shah of the PPP proposed to the speaker to lead a protest demonstration of lawmakers from outside the assembly building to a nearby chowk but the speaker and some MMA MPAs did not pay any heed to his proposal.

Earlier, Mualana Mujahidal Hussain of the MMA suggested to the house to tender en mass resignations against the killings in Bajaur but Chief Minister Akram Durrani, who was present in the House, strongly opposed the proposal.

Sikandar Sherpao, Alazeb Oramzai, Nasreen Khattak (PPP), Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Khalil Abbas (ANP), Irasrul Haq, Amant Shah, Fazal Ali Haqqani, Sabira Shakira, Zobaida Khatoon, Shah Raz Khan, Fareed Khan, Raja Faisal Zaman, Naeema Kishwar, Majid Khan, Mian Nadir Shah (MMA) also spoke on the issue and condemned the incident.

Later, the speaker adjourned the sitting till Wednesday.