PESHAWAR, Nov 2: The NWFP Assembly has urged the federal government to reopen the Bannu, Swat and Dera Ismail Khan airports and resume flight service to the cities.
Israrullah Khan Gandapur of the Pakistan People’s Party tabled a resolution, demanding early resumption of flight service from his native town of Dera Ismail Khan, which was stopped several years ago.
Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan included Bannu and Swat in the resolution on the proposal of members of the provincial assembly belonging to various cities.
The house adopted re-solutions demanding bank branches in Bakhshali village, payment of Rs1.5 billion
to the victims of violence in Hangu, payment of compensation to the Pakistani employees affected by the war in Kuwait and Iraq, electrification of Bargain, Koo, Sanghri and Ganajeer villages, television coverage of development activities and jobs for the sons of retired employees of the Karachi Dock Labour Board.
It adopted with majority vote resolutions presented by Khalid Waqar Chamkani and Jamshed Khan regarding allotment of alternate utility plots to the owners of educational institutions of Hayatabad and relaxation in educational requirement for women constables and mechanics being recruited in backward areas like Buner, Chitral and Shangla.
Abdul Akbar Khan of the PPP opposed a resolution presented by Dr Seemin Jan Mehmood regarding allotment of the NWFP Assembly land in Hayatabad to the assembly’s employees.
Dr Mehmood said that after the expansion of the assembly building at its existing premises the land acquired for the new building in Hayatabad was of no other use and it should be allotted to the employees.
The PPP MPA said the proposal was genuine but it would set a precedent and cause problems for the government in the future.
The speaker asked the mover to bring a call-attention notice in the assembly on the issue. He said if the house adopted the resolution, it would pave way for problems in the future.
Dr Mehmood did not press the resolution.
The house admitted an adjournment motion tabled by Javed Khan Mohmand of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal against snatching of vehicles given on superdari to officials.
He said the police and retainers of the vehicles were responsible for the growing phenomenon in the city.
The MMA’s Zobaida Khatoon drew the attention of the house towards irregularities in the new electoral lists.
She the field staff of the Election Commission had distributed voter forms but not collected them.
In some areas, the staff had registered dead people as voters and empty plots as houses, she alleged.
Abdul Akbar Khan said the problem was not confined to an area and the call-attention notice should be converted into an adjournment motion for discussion.
The speaker converted the notice into a motion and said it would be discussed on Friday.
Speaking on a point of order, Naeema Akhtar demanded that the federal government should establish a passport office in Mardan.
Earlier, the speaker informed the house that on Wednesday 93 people without carrying visitors’ cards had entered the assembly building to meet MPAs or ministers.
He asked the members and ministers to cooperate with the assembly staff and police for maintaining security of the assembly premises.