PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday formed a special committee to look into the police’s action against activists of the proscribed Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement in Khyber tribal district that resulted in three deaths.

Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who chaired the session, directed the provincial police chief, chief secretary and additional chief secretary (home) to explain their respective positions on the matter.

The development came after the treasury condemned the Khyber police’s crackdown on PTM.

The opposition alleged that the provincial government was working hand in glove with power-that-be against PTM.

It, however, supported the treasury’s stand on the recent police and Rangers’ raid on KP House in Islamabad.

MPA of the opposition JUI-F Adnan Khan insisted that Section 144 had restricted people’s assembly in Khyber tribal district, while roads were blocked in Bannu region, with men travelling with families being detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order over suspicion of being PTM activists.

He said no organisation could be banned overnight under Section 11b of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

The lawmaker said the chief minister should step down if bureaucrats didn’t follow his government’s directions otherwise he should admit involvement in action against PTM.

Member of the opposition Awami National Party Mohammad Nisar Baaz condemned the Islamabad police and Rangers’ raid on KP House.

He complained that tribal areas were merged with the province but it didn’t control Fata House in Islamabad.

The MPA questioned who handed over Fata House to intelligence agencies.

He claimed that the police, acting on the orders of the provincial government, raided Pakhtuns in Khyber district, who were peacefully making arrangements for a jirga.

Mr Baaz added that the police action led to the death of three youth and injury of 12.

He claimed that the PTM was a peaceful organisation, which was never involved in any unconstitutional steps and just called for peace in the Pakhtun region, but it was “illegally” banned by the federal government.

The opposition member urged the federal government to explain reasons for the ban on PTM.

He said the police and Frontier Constabulary fired tear gas shells on PTM activists just like the federal government targeted PTI protesters lately.

Mr Baaz claimed that the security establishment managed both federal and provincial assemblies.

“Our democratic state has been turned into a security state,” he said.

The lawmaker said that no one had revolted against the state, with all those demanding their constitutional and legal rights being declared traitors.

He warned that the situation could cause anarchy in the province and other parts of the country.

ANP member Arbab Usman said action against PTM should be stopped on humanitarian grounds.

He said if merged tribal districts burned, so would happen to other parts of the country.

The lawmaker said authorities should take all stakeholders on board to resolve issues otherwise things would spin out of their control.

He said the details of Khyber police action against PTM should be shared with the house.

Mr Usman said Islamabad police and Rangers challenged the sovereignty of KP by raiding and sealing KP House lately.

Member of the opposition PPP Ahmad Karim Kundi said political parties always advocated for talks to resolve issues.

He said the government and opposition could build consensus on certain issues for corrective measures.

“You [the speaker] should take the initiative by forming a committee of all political parties on our issues,” he said.

The speaker said he could ask the chief secretary and police chief to inform the house about who ordered police action against PTM and what was its justification, or form a committee headed by the CM and comprising parliamentary leaders to get a briefing on the matter from those officers.

Agriculture minister Sajjad Khan said the opposition in the province that was part of the federal government should have asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ask about the crackdown on PTM.

He insisted that the security establishment had “paralysed” the opposition.

The minister said the opposition should have advised the federal government to resolve issues in a political manner.

He supported the opposition’s call for the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to probe the Khyber police action against PTM.

The lawmakers later prayed for the PTM activists, who were killed in the Khyber police action.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2024