PESHAWAR, Dec 10: Awami National Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl seem to be on the same page in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Kalabagh dam issue as they on Monday opposed the Lahore High Court order for the construction of the said water reservoir, in the House.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Barrister Javid Abbasi also expressed reservations about the LHC decision and said the verdict stoked up a controversial issue at a time when the general elections were around the corner.
“The country needs reservoirs to overcome energy crisis but the court should not give such a verdict at this critical time,” said Barrister Abbasi on a point of order raised by opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani on Monday. He stressed for consensus among the federating units over Kalabagh.
Mr Durrani said the court should not give judgment on issues related with the executive. He said it was the government’s prerogative to take decision on a project and allocate funds.
The opposition leader said the LHC verdict helped some political parties carry out election campaign on the issue of Kalabagh dam.
He said Kalabagh project had been buried for ever and there was no need for discussion on this issue in the Parliament or any other important forum.
“JUI-F will never allow construction of Kalabagh dam,” he said, adding that the controversial project would submerge Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Mardan and Swabi.
Mr Durrani asked the judiciary to respect the resolutions of the three provincial assemblies against Kalabagh dam. He said there was no need to table a fresh resolution against construction of the dam in the provincial assembly.
Also, the lawmakers condemned gun attack on police station in Bannu and explosion near a stadium in Charsadda where ANP president Asfandyar Wali was to address a public meeting.
Information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain informed the House that eight people, including civilians, were killed in attack on police station in Bannu, while seven people were injured in Charsadda.
He said top political leadership, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Asfandyar Wali Khan, had survived suicide attacks.
Mr Hussain said militants had increased attacks at a time when electioneering was gaining momentum in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said militants were trying to occupy parliament by sending their own people to the assemblies. He said ANP did not want the postponement of elections and that all political forces should continue election campaign with courage and determination.
During the session, ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Ordinance’, ‘Elimination of Customs of Ghag Ordinance’, ‘Private Schools Regulatory Authority Bill’ and ‘Payment of Wages Bill’ were introduced in the House.
Speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmatti referred the Regulatory Authority Bill to the Select Committee.
The bill opposed by private school associations is aimed at the establishment of an authority to register and regulate functioning of private schools and colleges in the province.