The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Friday declared the Action in Aid of Civil Power Regulations, 2011, to be a law that violates basic human rights and approved a resolution passed by the KP Assembly to withdraw its appeal against the law from the apex court.
In 2019, the then Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) provincial government extended the law to the entire province; however, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) nullified the move, terming the law a violation of basic human rights. The government, however, later obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court against the PHC verdict.
On September 8, the KP Assembly passed a resolution recommending that the provincial government withdraw its appeal. “This House recommends that the provincial government declare the implementation of the law in KP and the merged districts to be against basic rights and withdraw its appeal against it from the Supreme Court,” the resolution read.
On Friday, the chief minister’s aide on information and public relations, Shafiullah Jan, told the media that the most important decision made in the cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, concerned the Action in Aid of Civil Power regulation.
Jan, while briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, said that the law was being misused and that the government had expressed its concerns. He added that the cabinet also approved an inquiry commission to investigate the attack on the Radio Pakistan building on May 9 during what he described as a “false flag operation”.
He said that the commission formed to probe the Radio Pakistan Peshawar attack would collect all available evidence, including CCTV footage, and submit its findings to the cabinet. He added that the names of the commission members would be finalised in the next cabinet meeting.
“The KP government believes that the May 9 operation was against PTI, to dismantle the party and to send its founder, Imran Khan, behind bars. PTI achieved nothing from May 9,” he said, and questioned who benefited from May 9 since it was used against PTI.
The chief minister’s aide also criticised Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for speaking against Pashtuns, adding that an entire Pashtun generation had laid down their lives. He said that the federal government should be asked how the explosives entered Pakistan since the federal government controls the border.
Jan said that the provincial government brought together the entire political leadership in KP under one roof and that the draft finalised after the peace jirga would be discussed in the security committee, followed by a provincial action plan. He also said that the TORs would be finalised and the details shared with the corps commander, adding that the final decision would be made by the chief minister.
The aide also said that they would enhance the police’s capacity so that the department could counter militancy in the province. Jan added that the cabinet decided not to spend taxpayers’ money on publicity of individuals, adding that PTI believed in transparency and that the cabinet had decided there would be zero tolerance for corruption.
He elaborated that the provincial government released a Rs4 billion grant for displaced persons since they had left their homes during Operation Zarb-e-Azb, but the federal government, even after promising financial assistance to the displaced families, never fulfilled its promises during the last three years.
The chief minister’s aide informed that a package of Rs6 billion had been announced for the provision of missing facilities in schools across the province, adding that the chief minister had ordered the release of Rs1.20 billion. He said that 0.745 million children would be enrolled and a stipend would be paid to their parents. Additionally, funds were approved for roads in Swat and South Waziristan.
Jan maintained that the cabinet members and the bureaucracy stressed the need to improve the law and order situation and governance, adding that further decisions would be made to bring visible changes over the next three years. The provincial government thanked all the political parties, tribal elders, and other participants for taking part in the peace jirga.
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