KP Assembly wants special committee to overcome sex crimes

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday witnessed a heated debate on the alarming increase in sexual assaults and filming of the victims in various parts of the province during the last several weeks, asking the government to constitute a special committee to probe and overcome the heinous crime.

The provincial assembly also passed a unanimous resolution to ban vulgar websites on the Internet and take practical steps against pornography and obscenity on the internet as easy availability of vulgar videos and pornographic material on the Internet has led to social crimes and immorality in society.

The debate was held in response to a report published in The News on Monday. Pakistan People’s Party Member Provincial Assembly Nighat Orakzai, on a point of order, stated that the frequent incidents of sexual abuse, film-making and murders of minor children in parts of KP had caused anguish and anger among the parents.

She claimed that many of the accused had not only sexually assaulted kids but also made videos that led to the murders of the victims. Appreciating the timely action by the local police against the accused in Haripur and Battagram districts, the PPP MPA claimed that an organised network and group of gangsters were involved in the video-making of innocent children and they, besides blackmailing the children, also make money on these videos on the Internet.

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal woman MPA Umaira Khatoon, through a joint resolution, asked the government to block the porno websites on the Internet as such sites had been banned and blocked in many countries, particularly for the underage users and subscribers on the Internet.

The resolution was adopted unanimously. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa passed another resolution, asking the provincial government to enhance job quota from 3 percent to 5 percent for non-Muslims in government departments and also increase quota for minorities in admission to universities, medical and engineering colleges and other educational institutions in the province.

The resolutions had been tabled by PTI minority MPAs Ravi Kumar and Wazirzada. In one resolution, the assembly asked the provincial government to provide internship programmes and facilities for the fresh graduates of the engineering universities and colleges in the province.

Earlier, Senior Minister Mohammad Atif Khan and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Sultan Muhammad Khan assured the House that the provincial government was taking concrete steps to provide clean and hygienic drinking water to the people and after proper legislation the plastic bags and unhygienic plastic bottles would be banned in the province.

The issue was raised by Jamaat-e-Islami MPA Inayatullah through a call-attention notice, saying that the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its recent report had declared drinking water in plastic bottles as injurious to health and hence the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Pakistan government should take essential steps for the provision of safe and clean drinking water the people.

He said that the plastic bags and plastic bottles were also main cause of polluted water and sewerage system. Awami National Party MPA Bahadar Khan, through a call-attention notice, said several villages in his constituency PK-16, Lower Dir, were faced with an acute water shortage and the local people were fetching drinking water from far-flung areas. He asked the government to announce a special fund and schemes for drinking water in most parts of Lower Dir district.