PESHAWAR, Dec 7: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Wednesday asked the country’s political and military leadership to reexamine the country’s cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) in Afghanistan.

Provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a news conference here that the cabinet, which met with chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, condemned the Nato attack on Pakistani troops in Mohmand Agency.

“The cabinet has termed the Nato attack a violation of the country’s security and survival, and law of the land. It supported the decisions taken by political and military leadership at the federal level and said there is a need to reconsider the country’s cooperation with Nato forces in Afghanistan,” he said.

Mr Iftikhar said the cabinet held out an assurance to the national leadership of support to the new policy vis-à-vis the country’s relations with Nato.

He said participants also offered Fateha for security personnel killed in the Nato attack and the victims of the recent terrorist strikes, including a Muharram 10 rocket attack in Kohat that killed a policeman.

According to him, the cabinet also reviewed the law and order situation in the province and appreciated the civil administration’s performance at the provincial and divisional level on Ashura.

The minister said the cabinet reviewed terrorist attacks in Kohat and Hangu districts and declared that terrorists resorted to rocket attacks after failing to achieve their nefarious designs.

He said the cabinet expressed concerns about the centre’s failure to consider the provincial government’s January 31, 2009 proposal on changes to the Criminal Procedure Code and that of August 30, 2010 on changes to the Police Order-2002, and urged the federal government to take the matter to parliament for decision.

He further said the cabinet warned that the matter could be taken to the Council of Common Interest for relief.

Mr Iftikhar said the cabinet directed the law department to examine the November 2011 Balochistan High Court decision, which declared that the Balochistan government was not empowered to amend the CrPC, and that all magistrates were subservient to the Balochistan High Court.

He said the cabinet asked the provincial law department to study the option of going to the Supreme Court in case the Balochistan government decided to challenge the high court’s decision.

“The law department has been instructed to study Article 140-A of the Constitution and come up with a proposal for the restoration of magistracy system in accordance with the constitutional provisions.”

The minister said the cabinet deliberated on a plan for restoring the deputy commissioner’s office disbanded under the Local Government Ordinance-2001 and creation of a new post of district development officer in all districts to take care of development activities, while sticking to its earlier decision of restoring old system of commissioners at divisional level.

“Participants agreed in principle that the old administrative system led by commissioners at the divisional level be restored and necessary changes be brought about under the old system to improve it,” he said referring to the cabinet’s decision.

Mr Iftikhar said the cabinet called for improvement of the government officials’ efficiency in the province directing the chief secretary to float proposals in this respect.

He said directions were issued to the cabinet’s special committee to review the proposed restructuring of the government’s line departments in accordance with the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

“The provinces are required to have 15 departments. The provincial cabinet’s special committee has been asked to prepare and submit its report to the government,” he said.