PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a joint resolution asking India to stop provocations against Pakistan and forge friendly relations with Pakistan to promote peace in the region.

While reading out the resolution, PPP member Fakhar Azam Wazir said the house condemned India’s firing on people in the occupied Kashmir.

He said India should refrain from provocative actions against Pakistan as they had a very negative impact on regional peace.

The lawmaker said as a neighbour, India should promote friendly relations with Pakistan.


Passes resolution pushing New Delhi for friendly ties with Islamabad


The resolution was unanimously passed by the house when the chair, Deputy Speaker Prof Mahar Taj Roghani, put it to vote.

The resolution was jointly signed by treasury and opposition members, including agriculture minister Ikramullah Gandapur, mines and minerals development minister Aneesa Zeb Tahirkheli, ANP’s Jafar Shah and JUI-F’s Shah Hussain and mover Fakhar Azam.

Speaking on a point of order regarding the escalating Pak-Indian tensions, ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said war was no solution to problems.

He said both countries should forge friendly relationship and prevent a war-like situation.

“Across the world, the countries sharing borders resolve bilateral issues by dialogue,” he said.

The ANP leader said some elements and groups from both sides of the border had been issuing war warnings on social media for many days and thus, causing provocations.

He said Pakistan and India should jointly work for the elimination of poverty and unemployment and improvement of educational standards in the region.

Mr. Babak said it was in the best interest of the region that all of its countries, including Pakistan, Iran, India, China and Afghanistan, create an atmosphere fit for conflict resolution through diplomatic negotiations.

He said things on both sides of the border would deteriorate if the two countries fought a war for two hours only.

“Both Pakistan and India should think seriously about deescalating tensions,” he said.

MPA Bakht Baidar of Qaumi Watan Party said all political parties and Pakhtuns would stand by the Pakistan Army in case of war with India.

“The Indian prime minister should know that we stand by the Pakistan Army,” he said.

By unanimously passing another resolution, the assembly condemned the ‘rising’ incidence of violence against women in the province.

The resolution was moved by QWP MPA Meraj Humayun Khan.

“Women are being killed in the province as they are challenging misogynist practices questioning discriminatory attitude of our society,” she said while moving the resolution.

The woman lawmaker said sadly, atrocities against women were justified in the name of so-called honour even though some of the victims used to bear economic burdens of their families.

She said women were killed for allegedly speaking to ‘wrong’ men and choosing life partners against the wishes of their families.

Ms Meraj said the killings were justified by pointing to some aspects of the women’s behaviour, which incited attacks.

She said unfortunately, most of such cases were not even reported.

In her resolution, she said, “we reiterate that there is no honour in killing women. The relevant provincial and federal authorities and institutions should show concerns about such dreadful acts besides taking immediate actions against their perpetrators.”

Earlier, the chair referred two questions regarding the provincial Zakat and Ushr department to the house’s relevant committee as their mover, Fakhar Azam Wazir, expressed dissatisfaction with the reply of the department.

Fakhar Azam said the record provided to him by the department of the people, who had availed themselves of Zakat, was ‘faulty’.

He said the record didn’t carry the numbers of CNICs concerned, while residential addresses of such people were also wrong.

Zakat and Ushr minister Habibur Rehman repeatedly asked the MPA to name ‘few undeserving Zakat beneficiaries’.

The MPA however requested the chair to refer the questions to the house’s relevant committee.

The chair did so after the house’s consent.

The session was later adjourned until Monday.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2016

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