PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday shied away from responding to a point of order in the provincial assembly regarding unabated targeted killings in North Waziristan tribal district.

On a point of order in the sitting chaired by Speaker Mushtaq Ghani, independent MPA from North Waziristan tribal district Mir Kalam Wazir claimed that the acts of targeted killing had claimed 42 lives in his area since last Jan, while five people were shot dead during the last 48 hours.

He lambasted the federal and provincial governments for not taking the issue of North Waziristan targeted killings seriously.

“We see signboards everywhere asking the people to protect wildlife but when it comes to protecting human life in North Waziristan, there is not a word from the government,” he said.

Mr Wazir said Noor Salam Dawar, a social worker and founder of the Youth of Waziristan organisation, was target killed on Saturday.

Independent MPA insists not a single target killer held in region

He said the targeted killing was a very serious issue for the people of North Waziristan tribal district.

The lawmaker said not a single target killer had been arrested in the region and the police didn’t conduct investigations.

The government didn’t respond to the point of order to reject or endorse the MPA’s claim and neither did the chair ask it to do so. Instead, the floor was given to another member.

The assembly passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism Bill, 2021, to address the severe challenges of terrorism and subversive activities against the state through narratives of hatred, extremism, radicalisation, intolerance, abusing charities, glorification of terrorism, and terrorist organisations.

One of the functions of the centre is to provide ‘mechanical support’ to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) working groups and research activities to counter violent extremism.

One amendment moved by Pakistan Peoples Party member Nighat Yasmin Orakzai sought the incorporation of a woman MPA in the board of governor was admitted.

Special assistant to the chief minister Kamran Bangash supported the amendment.

The government will appoint the chief coordinator officer to head the centre.

Under the bill, there will be a board of governor to be headed by the chief minister. It will meet on a quarterly basis.

The centre will publish an annual performance report through the higher education department and the report will be laid before the assembly.

The government was evasive about the details of the revenue and expenditure of the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project for the second time on the floor of the house in current session.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal member Humaira Khatoon through a question asked the government to produce details of the revenue and expenditure of the BRT.

Transport minister Shah Mohammad Wazir said various components of the multi-billion rupees worth of project, including commercial plazas and parking areas, were still incomplete.

He said the reply would be submitted after the completion of those facilities.

The minister said coronavirus was affecting the BRT revenue.

He claimed that 33.3 million commuters had used the bus service since its inauguration in Aug last year.

Meanwhile, the speaker deferred the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sentencing Bill, 2021, for the second time when special assistant to the chief minister on information Kamran Bangash said he had little understanding of the proposed law.

When the chair sought the views of law minister Fazal Shakoor Khan on it, the latter replied that he was not tasked with the process of the passage of the bill, so he was unable to suggest anything.

When it was suggested that the bill belonged to the home and tribal affairs department, which was overseen by the chief minister, and no treasury member was available to discuss its clauses, Mr Ghani reacted angrily saying the relevant department should have ensured the presence of the cabinet members for discussion.

He asked the additional secretary of the home department, who was present in the gallery, to leave the house as he was of little when it came to discussing the clauses of the bill.

He issued directives to write a letter to the chief secretary to take the notice of the situation.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2021