PESHAWAR, Sept 24: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has urged fellow lawmakers to show a loyalty to their respective political parties rather than carrying out agenda of “anti-people and undemocratic power centres”.

Responding to the MPAs, who spoke on the deteriorating law and order situation in the province here on Wednesday, Mr Durrani said that despite destabilizing intrigues his government had succeeded in stemming the crime rate in the province, but it was not a big success. “The MPAs are the custodian of people’s rights. When they betray their political parties, in fact, they betray their voters who send them to assemblies”, he said.

Endorsing the views of Anwar Kamal Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Mr Durrani said that the trading of loyalties on the behest of ‘anti-people quarters’ must be discouraged. He said it was a challenge for the genuine political forces, which lived the politics as service to the masses.

Without naming anybody, he made it clear upon the intelligence outfit, involved in the making-and-breaking of political parties and the governments, that his party (JUI) would not surrender to the dictatorial moves. “We consider it (politics) a service. Those who take it as deception and fraud, they are not politicians”, he added.

The political traders, he told the House, were trying hard to purchase the loyalties of some of the MPAs to destabilize the MMA government, but their all designs would be foiled. “In ours world only animals are sold, not human being. Those who sell themselves on the behest of anti-people forces are apolitical non-entities”, he observed.

Mr Durrani told the House that he would unveil the ugly faces of the stooges of the dictators, involved in conspiracies against the democracy, rule of law and people’s will.

He said that the elected institutions like this one were not allowed to take decisions on the political system of the country, instead some undemocratic quarters were used to impose decisions on the elected representatives. “It is our duty to resist their involvement in our affairs”, he added.

Referring to the rise in crime-rate in some parts of the NWFP, he said the police were combating the crimes with courage and its present performance was commendable. He said that the crime rate could be zeroed, if the influential ones in different districts should dissociate themselves from the kidnappers, absconders and hit-men.

He said it was a secret that criminals were enjoying the backing of influential people. “Harbouring criminals is a crime, but some of the influential people take pride in doing so”, he added.

Mr Durrani told the House that he had taken some good measures to root out crime in Mansehra, Malakand and Lakki areas. It was too early to furnish the complete information before the House in connection with areas identified by the MPAs, he added.

Referring towards the Mardan incident, wherein his JUI workers clashed with the local police on Monday, he said federal minister Nauraiz Shakoor should have informed the provincial government of his visit to Mardan. “He was our guest. We should give him proper protocol, but he didn’t inform us”, he observed.

Earlier, opening up the debate on law and order in the NWFP, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party read out a crime report from a newspaper, which covered a dozen crime incidents in the city. He said it was a mirror for the government, which used to make tall claims about the low-crime rate in the province.

He said that the law enforcement agencies had turned the NWFP into a police state. He also spoke on the inability of the police force in lowering crime and said a Suzuki-riding policeman could not capture a Pajero-riding criminal.

Anwar Kamal Khan drew the attention of the House about a rocket attacks on village Tajori in Lakki and Bannu airport. He said the police respond them in negative tone. Mr Khan said a senior police official accused that MPAs had sold them during the Senate polls, why they blamed the police.

Abdul Akbar Khan said that Pakistan was the only country where the taxpayers were manhandled by those who are dependent on public tax (police). He said in NWFP, 75 per cent of the total tax collection (Rs2.70b) was spent on the police force.

Benefiting from the presence of the senior police officials sitting in the visitors’ gallery, some of the MPAs admired the police force, combating crimes in their districts.