ISLAMABAD: The lawmakers Friday expressed solidarity against the killing of four innocent women in the district of North Waziristan. The lawmakers expressed serious concern over regrouping of terrorists in the country. Zahid Durrani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) strongly condemned the killing of four women in North Waziristan, saying that the people of the whole district are in protest against this incident.
He said that the prime minister should give direction to the provincial government for taking action against element involved in it. He and other legislators also stressed that the Shuhada package should be announced for the families of the four deceased women.
MNA Mohsin Dawar from North Waziristan said before the incident of the killing of four women, 10 persons including a local government engineer and public prosecutor and his brother were also kidnapped from North Waziristan.
He expressed concern that the terrorists were regrouping in the tribal areas and these terror acts could spread in other parts of the country as well.
"The terrorists are re-grouping. There is a need for debate on it in the house," he said. Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) condemned the incident, and said, "The political situation of tribal areas is deteriorating and the terrorists are regrouping in the country."
He called for a comprehensive debate in the house on the incidents of terror and kidnappings in the border areas. He urged the government and the law enforcement agencies to take notice of the situation.
Murtaza said his party condemned the acts of terror, and pointed out that the situation had deteriorated in the tribal areas, adding in the previous by-elections in the border areas, it was even difficult to run an election campaign due to terrorist activities.
MNA Shahnaz Baloch expressed her concern over the incidents in which women were attacked, and demanded of the government to take remedial measures. Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also strongly condemned the incident.
MNA Saifur Rehman criticised the Sindh government for its actions against opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh. He said that the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly was harassed, and was put behind the bars.
He said, "The Sindh government has started political victimisation of its opponents. Political FIRs are being lodged against 250 of our political workers."
While responding to Saifur Rehman, former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should raise this issue in the Sindh Assembly and not in National Assembly.
"Sindh Assembly is the appropriate forum to raise this issue and the provincial government is responsible to respond to it or take action."
Responding to the points of various members in the house, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan has said the entire country is united in the war against terrorism.
He said the security forces and the people of the country have given immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
He said the government has taken notice of the killing of four women in North Waziristan, and the report of the Interior Ministry on this incident will be shared with the House.
After consensus of the House, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser referred the matter about killing of the four women in North Waziristan to the relevant Standing Committee for further discussion.
Later, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said while speaking on the floor of the House that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had also taken notice of the incident immediately, which was also laudable.
He said "without honouring women, we can't move forward, whether we are in government or opposition."
He said that women in every role were beautiful whether she was mother, sister or daughter or wife.
The minister said that news was flashed in the Indian media regarding marriage of Jamiat Ulema Islam's 64-year-old member National Assembly with a 14 years old girl from backward Chitral valley. He said that Indian media had raised a hue and cry about this marriage.
The minister said that the JUI-F should explain its position on the issue. He said that cruelty was cruelty, wherever, it took place, and it was not right to say that legislators could not talk about oppression in the Sindh province.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021