PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Monday strongly condemning the discriminatory Indian citizenship law, verdict in the Babri Masjid case, and repressions against Muslims in India.

The treasury and opposition supported the resolution, which was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Nighat Yasmin Orakzai.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani chaired the sitting.

The resolution said the Modi government had discriminated against Muslims in India.

The house also condemned the verdict of the Indian Supreme Court, which allowed the construction of a temple at the site of the centuries old Babri Masjid.

Urges FO to use diplomatic channels for ensuring halt to victimisation of Muslims in India

The resolution urged the Pakistani Foreign Office to pressure India through diplomatic channels into halting the victimisation of Muslims on its soil.

Speaking on the resolution, Opposition Leader Akram Khan Durrani said Muslims in India were facing discrimination and the new citizenship law sparked violence in various states.

He said the government let down Turkey, Malaysia and Iran by not attending the Kula Lumpur summit though they supported Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir issue in the United Nations.

Mr Durrani said the Kashmir issue was included in the summit’s agenda at Pakistan’s request but Prime Minister Imran Khan couldn’t sustain pressure from a country and turned down the invitation to attend the conference.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal member Inayatullah Khan said over seven million Muslims had been deprived of citizenship in the Assam state.

He said all refugees excluding Muslims, who migrated from Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan, would be granted Indian citizenship.

The lawmaker asked the government to mobilise Muslim Diaspora across the world to pressure India to withdraw laws discriminating against Muslims.

On a point of order, Awami National Party MPA Khushdil Khan advocate said his party would stand with the judiciary and the Peshawar High Court chief justice, who handed down death sentence to former military ruler retired General Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case.

Terming CJ Waqar Ahmad Seth the most competent and upright judge in the province, he said some so-called analysts and ministers had been targeting him (CJ) over his historic judgment and had called him mentally ill and incapable person.

“For the first time in the country’s history, a judge has showed courage and convicted a person, who declared martial law in the country and abrogated the Constitution,” Khushdil Khan said, adding that the affected party had the right to appeal against the judgment.

The lawmaker said a conspiracy was being hatched against the judiciary.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani abruptly adjourned the proceedings apparently to stop other MPAs of the opposition from debating the issue.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal lawmaker Inayatullah Khan told Dawn that the opposition had planned to hold a detailed discussion on the Dec 19 verdict of the special court against Musharraf.

The house passed another resolution condemning the targeted killing of PML-N leader Feroz Shah advocate in Swat.

Awami National Party lawmaker Waqar Khan tabled the resolution, which said the government should take measures to stop the targeted killings in Swat and other districts of Malakand.

He said the people, who had supported military operations against militants in Swat in 2009, were being eliminated.

The lawmaker regretted that not a single target killer had been busted in Swat.

He said the people were receiving telephone calls from Afghanistan-based phone numbers for the payment of extortion.

Mr Waqar urged the government to take up the issue with the Afghan government.

Awami National Party parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said terrorists were organising themselves and distributing pamphlets in Swat, Buner, North Waziristan and South Waziristan districts.

He said militants were openly roaming in different districts but the government didn’t act against them.

Law minister Sultan Mohammad Khan proposed the idea of holding an in-camera briefing for parliamentary leaders on the law and order situation.

He said the government was aware of the situation, while intelligence-based operations were being conducted against wanted people in the province.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Rescue Service (Amendment) Bill, 2019, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Crushers (Installation, Operation and Regulation) Bill, 2019, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Amendment) Bill, 2019, were also introduced in the house.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2019