KP Assembly passes resolution against trial of civilians in military courts

PESHAWAR: Treasury and opposition benches in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday praised the police for fighting militants and anti-state elements and recommended capacity building, incentives and the latest weapons and equipment for the force in the province.

Chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly suspended the routine agenda and debated the law and order situation in the province.

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur briefed the provincial assembly members at the Assembly Conference Room about law and order. The speaker, provincial ministers, advisers to chief ministers, treasury and opposition benches lawmakers were present there.

Speaking on the Assembly floor, parliamentary party leader of Pakistan People’s Party Ahmad Karim Kundi said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had received a huge amount from the federal government on account of its share on the war on terror for the last two decades but unfortunately, the amount was not utilized or spent for capacity building of the police force.

“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police receive the lowest salaries and incentives as compared to other provinces,” he said and added that hundreds of police including high-ranking officers had laid down their lives while fighting militants and anti-state elements.

Minister Arshad Ayub said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its police had offered great sacrifices as the province was on the frontline in the war against terror.

“Due to prolonged war and internal crisis as a result of Soviet invasion and then after 9/11 in Afghanistan and the entire region remained the grip of militancy and violence,” he said and added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was still suffering from the instability and unrest in the neighboring Afghanistan.

Minister for Agriculture Muhammad Sajjad said that the soil of Pakhtuns had remained a battlefield for decades in the alien war where the military rulers and generals had played a pivotal role.

“Defence Minister Khwaja Asif had admitted that the whole nation was burning due to the wrong policy of army generals and rulers,” he said and added that the president must question the interference of army generals in government affairs and country politics.

The treasury and opposition members also questioned the demolishing of security checkposts in the former tribal areas and said that the militants had strengthened their networks in some merged districts of the province.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed a resolution against the civilian trial by the military courts, saying that the punishment of civilians by the military courts was not only against the Constitution but also against basic human rights.

The joint resolution was presented by PTI MPA Abdul Salam Afridi, condemning the punishment to those civilians who were allegedly involved in the May 9 violent protests.