PESHAWAR, April 22: The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) and the Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao), which disrupted the proceedings of the NWFP Assembly on Monday, called off their protest after negotiations with the speaker on Tuesday.

The government and the opposition agreed to form a committee to assess the politically-motivated transfers and postings and rectify them.

The house met two hours late after the negotiations.

The session, presided over by Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan, went on in a peaceful manner and the parliamentary leaders of the main opposition groups spoke about the causes of the uproar that suspended the business on Monday.

Awami National Party leader Bashir Ahmed Bilour said his party had taken a tough stand on the wrongdoings of the government in the recent transfers and postings.

He said the ANP was against the Legal Framework Order and the government could not drag it into the pro-LFO camp.

He congratulated his fellow opposition members for staging a well-orchestrated protest.

Awnwar Kamal Marwat of the PML (Nawaz) said the government’s indifferent attitude towards the opposition parties had forced them to take a serious notice of the affairs.

PML-Q leader Wajihuzzaman Khan urged the government to uphold the rule of law. He said people had an impression that there was no government in the province and they were not getting any relief.

About the LFO, he said: “We cannot remove it from our way, so we must avoid it.”

Riffat Akbar Swati of the PPP-S said women MPAs were ignored while forming the house committees.

Mian Nisar Gul, Dr Salim Khan and Qalandar Khan Lohdi pointed out mistakes committed by the government.

During the question hour, most MPAs inquired about the deteriorating education system, shortage of teachers and related issues.   Education Minister Maulana Fazale Ali said the finance department was not releasing the required amount.

He said over 190 posts of high school teachers were vacant in Hangu district and the government was unable to fill them in the meagre budget.

He said 13 posts of lecturers, assistant and associate professors and lab assistants were vacant in the only degree college in Buner district.

He said 16 high schools in Shangla district were without any science teacher. “We have middle schools building in Lower Dir but we have had no staff for the last three years to run them. The buildings are lying vacant,” he said.

The minister said a girls high school in Upper Dir was being run without a principal, senior English teacher and 10 subject specialists.

Despite all the odds, he said, the government was committed to provide free school education.

Later, talking to newsmen, Sikandar Khan Sherpao and Syed Murid Kazim of the PPP-S said they had protested over the unjust transfers and postings in the province.

The government had dislocated over 800 employees of different departments on political consideration in Dera Ismail Khan district, they said.

They alleged that unelected Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leaders were running the government affairs in every district and the MPAs had been ignored in execution of development schemes.