PESHAWAR, Aug 20: Lawmakers from the violence-hit Swat valley on Wednesday drew the attention of the provincial assembly towards the loss of lives and property in their villages and underscored the need for an immediate solution to the issue to stop the ongoing killings and destruction in the region. Resuming debate in the assembly on the situation in Swat, Jaffar Shah of the Awami National Party said area residents had no power supply for one week.
The power supply system, he said, had developed a minor technical fault, but Pesco authorities were not paying any heed to their complaint. Army personnel, he said, had offered them (Pesco) an airlift facility, but Pesco technicians were reluctant to go outside their offices.
Besides killing of people, he said, militants had set on fire more than 125 girls’ schools in the area. He said: “Over 2,000 girls are enrolled in one school and one can assess the loss of girl students in the valley. It is not a matter of gutted school buildings, it is destruction of culture and knowledge”.
He urged the government to allocate seats for students of Swat in schools in the neighbouring districts.
He asked the chair to set up a special committee to look into the losses and problems of Swat residents.
Lashing out at outlaws, Noor Sehr of the Pakistan People’s Party, also from Swat, held the previous regime responsible for the lawlessness in Swat. She said those involved in burning of schools, shops and houses were the “children of intelligence agencies”. She alleged that it was Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf, who used spy agencies against his own people. She said militants and their mentors had not only used the youth as cannon fodder to their war-machine, but they had also deprived mothers of their sons, wives of their husbands and sisters of their brothers.
Waqar Ahmed of the ANP, also hailing from Swat, said the lawlessness had destroyed their businesses, agriculture, trade and orchards. “Our children cannot go to school. We cannot take our patients to hospital. We cannot move freely in a valley, which was once a paradise for tourists and compatriots.” He said the valley needed attention of the entire country to be steered out of the ongoing insurgency.
Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said it was another “great game, with new players, being played in this part of the world”.
He said the caretaker government had sent troops to Swat and denied that the present government had sent paramilitary forces to the valley.
He said the coalition government had used all available options, including talks, jirgas and meetings with militants, and concluded an agreement, but the other party was not ready to honour it.
“For us, the agreement is intact. We want to settle all such matters in a peaceful manner. We believe in non-violence. We hate use of force,” he added.
“What option is left with the government when all its peaceful efforts are dishonoured?” he said. “In such conditions what the government should do? Certainly, it will not put the people at the mercy of miscreants and law-breakers.”
Earlier, speaking on the issue, Qalandar Khan Lodhi of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) drew the attention of the speaker towards the empty chairs of the chief minister, two senior ministers and absence of the chief secretary, home secretary, provincial police officers and other senior officials in the officers’ gallery and said the government was not serious in taking any action on the matter. He said it was an important day, but the chief executive of the province and his officials were not present in the house.
Nighat Orakzai of the PML (Q) recalled that despite a ruling by the chair on Tuesday, neither the chief minister nor police officials were present in the assembly. She said it would be an exercise in futile to make lengthy speeches in the empty house.
Earlier, provincial Minister Syed Zahir Ali Shah presented The Khyber Medical University (Amendment) Ordinance, 2008, in the house.
The speaker adjourned the proceedings till Thursday.
PPI adds: The NWFP government in collaboration with Unicef will reconstruct 90 primary schools in Swat, which were set on fire by the Taliban, the provincial minister for information told the assembly during its debate on law and order on Wednesday.