PESHAWAR, Dec 18: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was told on Tuesday that six of the 10 militants who took part in assault on PAF base in Peshawar and the subsequent gun-battle with police were foreigners.

Speaking on floor of the house, Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that nationality of the suicide bombers who had blown themselves up in a van outside the base and those killed subsequently by police had been ascertained.

“The killed militants belonged to Kyrgyzstan, Daghistan, Uzbekistan and Chechnya,” he said and added that blood samples of the killed terrorists had been sent for DNA test.

Giving details, the minister said that the militants killed in Saturday night attack included two Chechens and three Pakistanis.

He said that five more militants killed in Pawaka village adjacent to the airport the following day included one each from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Daghistan, Uzbekistan and Chechnya.

Mr Hussain said that Taliban were short of local terrorists and now they had engaged foreigners to fulfill their designs. “Now they (Taliban) use their well-trained militants,” he said.

About tattoos on bodies of the militants, he said that many religious scholars had termed such paintings on human body strictly prohibited.

Meanwhile, the house referred a bill for regulating payment of wages of employees in factories and industrial and commercial establishments, to Law Reforms Committee of the house when the opposition stressed for amendments. The committee would submit its report on the proposed law within a week.

The opposition lawmakers said that the draft bill was out of jurisdiction of labour department.

MPA Israrullah Gandapur said that the bill seemed to also apply to some federal departments like Pakistan Railways and if passed its implementation would be difficult. He suggested the house to refer the bill to the reform committee for improving the proposed law.

MPAs Iqbal Deen, Qasim Shah and Mufti Kifayatullah of the JUI-F also rejected the bill, warning the treasury of a boycott if it was not referred to the committee.

On this, Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour expressed willingness to refer the bill to the Law Reforms Committee, asking it to prepare its report within a week. He said that every bill was brought to the house after careful drafting. However, the treasury benches are ready to send it to reforms committee, he added.

Meanwhile, the information minister informed the assembly that a female polio worker was killed due to enmity in Mathra village of Peshawar. He rejected the impression that the woman was killed for being a member of polio vaccination team.

“The polio vaccination campaign will not be postponed in the province due to this incident,” he said. Earlier, Mufti Kifayatullah demanded of the government to ensure security to polio teams.