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MANSEHRA, April 27: The provincial chief of JUI-F, MNA Maulana Amanullah, has said that timely negotiations could have averted the massive damage caused by the Wana operation. He was speaking at a press conference at a Madressah here on Tuesday. Senator Syed Hidayatullah Shah and MMA provincial information secretary Mufti Kifayatullah were also present.
He said that the government at last accepted the MMA stand and avoided further bloodshed, which would have created much hatred among the people against the army. He said that security council was a threat to the supremacy of parliament and armed forces' involvement in political affairs was not a good omen for the country.
He said that the MMA would welcome the return of Shahbaz Sharif to Pakistan and wanted that all the exiled leaders should return home. He said that the MMA, being the largest opposition party in parliament, should be given the office of the leader of opposition in the National Assembly.
He said that some hidden forces were busy promoting sense of hatred among the provinces by creating artificial crisis of wheat. Replying to a question, he said that the JUI-F's general council had decided to take part in the local council elections and has directed its workers to get prepared for the polls.
TIMBER MAFIA: The policy of the provincial cabinet for the transit of illegally exploited timber from Kohistan district had suffered a setback as despite the end of the deadline, March 31, the wood transported from forest to road sides had not been lifted.
On the other hand, the timber smugglers under the shadow of the cabinet policy had started ruthlessly cutting the forest trees, whereas the role of forest department officials had been reduced to that of silent spectators.
A few months ago, the NWFP cabinet had decided that the illegally exploited timber in Kohistan would be allowed to be transported by imposing fine of Rs200 per cubic feet and that the 2.2 million cubic feet of illegally exploited wood should be transported by March 31.
Sources said that a very small volume of the wood had been taken to the roadside and that too not lifted. People had expressed their reservations on the cabinet policy and had alleged that the policy had been carved to benefit the blue-eyed of a component party of the MMA.
The sources said that during Benazir Bhutto's government, the former federal minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, Mir Baz Khan Khaitran, had allowed the transit of illegally exploited timber from the forest of Chilas by imposing fine Rs50 per cubic feet and under that permission the timber smugglers had badly damaged the forest of Chilas.
