Opposition’s protest in KP Assembly intensifies

PESHAWAR: The protest by the opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly intensified on Monday and badly disturbed the proceedings again as whistles were blown and desks thumped with hammers.

The rumpus showed that the talks between the ministerial committee constituted by the speaker and the opposition parliamentary leader to break the deadlock could not succeed. Just after recitation from the Holy Quran, the joint opposition members stood on their seats and started shouting.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani disposed of the agenda within 17 minutes amid loud noise and blowing of whistles. He announced that the question hour and call attention notices of the opposition members had lapsed.

The House adopted by a majority six resolutions moved by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Water Bill, 2020 was introduced as well amid the commotion. A condemnation move by Sumera Shams of the PTI was among the resolutions adopted. It was about the alleged desecration of the national flag at a recent public meeting of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) at Charsadda. After concluding the agenda in the brief and noisy session, the speaker adjourned the session to March 16 as the opposition did not pay heed to his repeated calls for order in the House.

Later talking to the media, opposition parliamentary leader Akram Khan Durrani reiterated the resolve to continue the protest. He said the chief minister did not fulfill his commitments made with the opposition about the allocation of development funds. Akram Durrani said the opposition members were assured of 35 percent uplift funds but now giving just 35 million to the opposition members while those from the treasury were doled out from 500 million to one billion was a great injustice.

The opposition leader said the members from the tribal districts were still ignored and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan instead claimed he enjoyed strong support. Akram Durrani criticized the speaker after accusing him of being partial and said his behaviour was not that of the custodian of the House. He accused the speaker of bulldozing the legislation in the House in the absence of the opposition on the government directives. The opposition leader, who has served as chief minister in the past, challenged the legislation done amid the opposition protest and said it would remain controversial.

He said the opposition protest would be intensified, hinting at setting up a protest camp in front of the assembly premises. On the other hand, Information Minister Shaukat Yousufzai expressed concern over the opposition protest. He claimed the opposition had assured the government of ending the agitation.

The minister said the opposition lacked coordination and was not clear why it was protesting. He said the opposition lawmakers should have debated the peace accord signed between the United States and Taliban but unfortunately it opted to stage protest as usual.