MPA’s maltreatment: KP Assembly orders IGP to conduct inquiry against SHO

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani on Tuesday directed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi to conduct an inquiry against the police official who had maltreated a provincial lawmaker and submit a report to the House within five days.

“Thoughthe police force has rendered great sacrifices in the war against terror, the black sheep like the SHO [station house officer] in question who earned a bad name for the force, deserved punishment not less than termination from service”, he said.

The speaker directed issuance of the police service cards in 10 days to the Levies and Khassadar Force cops of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas who have been merged into the police.

He gave his ruling while concluding the debate on the issue of Khazana SHO Ebad Wazir’s maltreatment with Member Provincial Assembly from Bajaur district, Ajmal Khan in Bakhshi Pull area on Charsdda Road. The MPA was travelling with his family when manhandled.

The House had fully debated the matter on Monday for which the agenda was suspended and lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition had demanded strict action against the SHO.

Opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani, on a point of order, said on Tuesday the deputy commissioner of Bannu in reaction to the traders’ protest against anti- anti-encroachment drive had sealed shops and the chamber of commerce office and traders were on strike. “The administration and government should facilitate the traders instead of closing their business and office”, he suggested. He criticized the government and police for the use of force against professors and other university employees the previous day.

Ahmad Kundi of the PPP once again raised the issue of provincial cabinet size and said the House could not be run with an illegal and unconstitutional cabinet. “Advocate-General Shumail Ahmad Butt who was supposed to come to the House on Monday did not appear and the speaker should give his ruling over the issue”, he added.

Akram Khan Durrani, Sardar Babak and the Sardar Muhammad Yousaf supported Kundi and said the government should clear the position by sacking any minister or contact the attorney general if he was busy in the Supreme Court.

Sahibzada Sanaullah of the PPP, through a call attention notice, drew the House's attention towards the losses caused to crops, vegetables and fruits due to hailstorm. He demanded the affected areas be declared calamity-hit and survey teams sent to the affected parts in Upper, Lower Dir and other areas of the Malakand division.

Sardar Yousaf, Sardar Aurangzaib Nalotha and Laiq Muhammad Khan also called for declaring the hailstorm affected areas in Hazara division as calamity-hit. Inayatullah Khan resolution’s demanding the federal excise duty on oil should be paid to the province was passed unanimously.

The resolution by Humera Khatoon of Jamaat-e-Islami, asking the federal government to declare Friday as a weekly holiday instead of Sunday was also unanimously adopted. Ahmad Kundi’s resolution demanding declaring Saraiki as parliamentary language was adopted unanimously.

After the tea break when the session resumed chaired by Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan, the lack of quorum issue was pointed out and he had to adjourn the sitting till June 2 (today) as only 21 members were present in the House.