KP Assembly condemns Indian aggression

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution, condemning the Indian airstrikes near Balakot and termed it a cowardly act.

Malik Liaqat of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) moved the joint resolution signed by members of the opposition. It asked the federal government to summon the Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad to hand over a demarche to him over the airstrike.

It said that Pakistan was a peace-loving country and it always advocated the promotion of peace in the region but its desire for peace should not be construed as its weakness. The resolution said the entire nation was behind the armed forces and would not hesitate to render any sacrifice for defending every inch of the motherland.

This assembly also assures the armed forces that the 220 million people of the country were united and would defend the ideological and geographical boundaries of the country. Narendra Modi is using such tactics in a futile attempt to win the election, it added.

Earlier, speaking on the issue opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani, parliamentary leader of Awami National Party Sardar Hussain Babak, Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Nighat Orakzai of Pakistan People's Party and Mahmud Jan and Fazle Elahi of PTI condemned the Indian aggression.

They said the nation was united and stood by the armed forces to give a befitting response to India. The lawmakers said there was no division when it came to defending the country. The Indian leadership is trying to win the election through the escalation of tensions, but it should know that Pakistan was strong enough to defend itself, the lawmaker said.

The armed forces and the people are ready to render any sacrifice to protect the country, they vowed. The assembly passed with a majority the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (amendment) Bill, 2019 and the KP Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (second amendment) Bill, 2019 amid the chants of 'shame' shame' and 'no' 'no' from the opposition benches.

Speaker Mushtaq Ghani put the bills to voting when the opposition members stood in front his the dais. They protested his decision of putting to vote the issue of appointment of director general of the Galiyat Development Authority instead of sending it to the committee concerned.

Aurangzeb Nalotha through a question sought details about the director general's appointment, salary, perks and privileges and qualifications. He was not satisfied with the answer and wanted the matter to be referred to the committee.

However, Law Minister Sultan Muhammad opposed referring the matter to the committee and the speaker put it to a vote that prompted the opposition to circle his dais. The speaker adjourned the session sine die amid the protest and slogans of the opposition.