PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday urged the federal government not to ignore backwardness and misery of the province and Fata caused by protracted militancy while signing socioeconomic agreements with China during the upcoming visit of the Chinese president to Pakistan.

The call was given in a unanimously adopted resolution, which was tabled by Qaumi Watan Party parliamentary leader Sikandar Hayat Sherpao.

“This assembly urges the federal government that while signing the investment agreements and MoUs during the China’s president visit, the problems and miseries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its adjoining tribal belt must not be overlooked at any cost rather this region’s vulnerability to extremism, terrorism and backwardness should be highlighted so as to secure more investment for KP and Fata,” read the resolution.

Ask centre not to ignore region’s problems while signing socioeconomic agreements with China

The house also demanded through the resolution that the western route for China-Pakistan economic corridor be included in the early harvest plans relating to CPEC.

Reading out the resolution, Sikandar Hayat said the assembly welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan during his forthcoming visit along with a high-powered delegation.

“This assembly believes that this visit, apart from further strengthening the bond of longstanding friendship between the two neighbours, will also pave the way for ensuring greater Chinese investment in Pakistan,” he said.

The resolution carried signatures of both treasury and opposition members, including law minister Imtiaz Shahid, Sardar Hussain Babak of ANP, Munawar Khan of JUI-F, Shaukat Yousafzai of PTI, Saeed Gul of JI, Aneesa Zaib Tahirkheli of QWP, and others.

Earlier, Sikandar Sherpao requested Speaker Asad Qaisar on a point of order to relax rules to allow him to table the resolution.

The speaker allowed him and the resolution was passed unanimously.

Sardar Hussain Babak, while speaking on the floor of the house, came down hard on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for what he called thinking for the benefits of Punjab only by ignoring other provinces.

“The prime minister represents all provinces and not Punjab only,” he said.

Babak said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata had suffered a lot due to militancy and therefore, the region should be given preferential reflection in economic agreements with China.

Public health engineering minister Shah Farman said the centre had adopted a discriminatory attitude towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“There should be economic justice with the provinces,” he said.

Through another resolution, PTI MPA Mehmood Jan demanded that the provincial government formulate service structure for the planning officers working in the administrative departments.

He said such officers had been working in the same grades for decades due to the absence of service structure.

The assembly session, which began two hours later than the scheduled time, was adjourned after 25 minutes proceeding due to a lack of quorum.

It was for the third time during the last few days that the assembly was adjourned due to a lack of quorum without taking up all items on the agenda.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2015

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