PESHAWAR: The Cultural Heritage Council (CHC), a civic organisation dedicated to preserving Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) heritage, said on Sunday it will move to court to stop ongoing construction work at Shahi Bagh.

Speaking at an open air seminar held at the historic garden, CHC President and writer Younas Qiyasi said renovation and construction work was continuing at Shahi Bagh despite orders from the court to stop any kind of change to its 610 kanals of land.

Qiyasi maintained his organisation will approach the court again if the orders continue to be violated. He said the CHC has no political ambitions and that its sole aim is the preservation of the province’s cultural heritage. Qiyasi blamed both government departments and public representatives for the destruction of K-P’s culture.

Mansoor Ahmed Khan, a member of the Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP), claimed the situation regarding preservation of cultural heritage was grave. He regretted the fact that the government did not possess a complete list of historical sites, adding that a cultural mapping project was abandoned some time ago.

Khan said the government adopted the Federal Antiquities Act in 1997, but stressed the provincial government needed to do more than just impose a federal law. He also said the IAP was willing to work on restoration projects in the province free of charge.

Dr Adil Zareef said public interest in these issues had revived hopes of the culture’s survival. He urged citizens to take an interest in the city’s affairs and warned that if K-P did not follow Sindh and Punjab in preserving and listing historical sites, the province’s heritage trail would slowly disappear at the hands of land and commission mafias.

Tahir Khattak, a prominent architect, maintained Peshawar is one of the world’s oldest cities. “We can compare it to Greek and Roman civilisations,” he said. Khattak claimed he was involved with the Shahi Bagh renovation project, but backed off sensing the government’s non-serious attitude towards the garden’s conservation.

CHC general secretary Shakil Wahidullah Khan informed participants that two more meetings, one at Gor Khatri and the other at Wazir Bagh, would be organised in the coming days to draw attention to this issue.

He said the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had ordered authorities to remove encroachments from Shahi Bagh and recover its 610 kanals of land in October 2012. The current remodelling project at Shahi Bagh which is attempting to imitate the design of Shalimar Bagh Lahore is in violation of court orders and turning the park into a historical graveyard, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2013.

Hoti took oath on March 30, 2008 and will reach the end of his tenure next month.

He surpassed Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, who remained in office for four years, 10 months and 11 days from November 30, 2002 to October 11, 2007.

Hoti also has the honour of being the last CM of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the first one of K-P.

Serving as the 14th CM of the province, Hoti led it through the most critical period in its history. He took oath at a time when the Taliban were wreaking havoc in Swat valley and Malakand, spilling  to other parts of the province and making people fearful that Peshawar might fall to them.

However, Hoti’s government fought back, and with time the militants were pushed back. Additionally, the government also had to brave the largest internal displacement in the province’s history.

The first ever chief minister of the province was Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, who assumed charge in 1937 when the British Raj enforced the Government of India Act 1935 in then NWFP. He was succeeded by Dr Khan Sahib twice and Sardar Aurangzeb Khan till 1947.

Abdul Qayyum Khan, who again led the provincial government from August 23, 1947 to April 23, 1953, was also the longest-serving CM of the province, but given the aftermath of the partition, his government was unelected and of a provisional nature.

From April 1953 to October 1955, when K-P was merged into one unit with what was then known as West Pakistan, Sardar Abdur Rashid and Sardar Bahadur Khan led as chief executives.

As a result of being one unit from October 14, 1955 to June 30, 1970, K-P had no CM. However, from May 1972 to February 1975, Maulana Mufti Mehmood and Sardar Inayatullah Khan Gandapur served as the chief ministers.

Arbab Jehangir Khan led the province from 1985-1988, while Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao served twice from 1988-1990 and again from 1994-1996. Mir Afzal Khan led the province from 1990 to 1993, Pir Sabir Shah from 1993-1994 and Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan from 1997-1999.

K-P has seen four caretaker setups during 1988 and 2008, and the upcoming setup will be the fifth of its kind.

Talking about Hoti’s tenure, Awami National Party’s (ANP) provincial spokesperson Malik Ghulam Mustafa termed it a good sign for democracy.

“We are thankful to all political parties which helped in removing the perception that a democratic setup could not function in Pakistan,” he said.

Mustafa added his party’s leaders Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Dr Shamsheer, Alamzeb Khan and others gave their lives for democracy, while Mian Iftikhar Hussain lost his only son.

He praised the party for sailing through difficult times, trying to counter terrorism and braving nature’s fury in the form of the 2010 floods.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Minister for Prisons Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel has resigned from his seat as well as the Awami National Party (ANP), The Express Tribune has learnt.

Sources close to the minister said Kakakhel quit both positions on Monday. “The resignation was delivered to the K-P chief minister,” said one person privy to the matter.

The insider believed Kakakhel resigned due to “health problems”. He expressed ignorance about any other reasons behind the minister’s resignation.

However, another source maintained Kakakhel had been facing problems with ANP’s leadership over development funds allotted to prisons for the past few months. He said the leadership was concerned about Kakakhel’s commitment to contest the upcoming elections on the party ticket and withheld funds allotted to him.

In a bid to resolve these issues, Kakakhel also met Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti on Sunday. However, the meeting did not bear fruit, he claimed. “He [Kakakhel] told the chief minister he will not contest elections on the ANP ticket.”

ANP Provincial General Secretary Arbab Tahir confirmed Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel’s resignation from the prisons ministry and the party. Tahir said he “was in the dark” about Kakakhel’s reasons for quitting, adding that his party was not aware of any dissent.

Kakakhel himself, however, could not be contacted despite several attempts.

Switching sides

Hailing from Karak district, Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel has been a part of both Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and ANP-PPP coalition governments.

He was elected to the erstwhile NWFP assembly in 2002 from a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticket. He defeated MMA candidate Muhammad Iqbal Khattak and ANP’s Farid Khan Toofan before switching parties and aligning with the MMA.

Kakakhel then contested the 2008 elections as an independent candidate from the same constituency. Following his election, Kakakhel joined the ANP ranks and was made the minister for prisons in the K-P cabinet.

On June 11, 2009, his convoy was ambushed in Darra Adamkhel, Frontier Region (FR) Kohat. Three of his guards died, while Kakakhel managed to escape with bullet wounds in the chest and abdomen.

He made it to the headlines again, after his name was implicated in the kidnapping case of a girl in May 2010. He resigned following the incident, but was sworn in as a minister after being acquitted of all charges in September.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2013.

The All Parties Conference (APC) is being organised under the umbrella of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUIF). So far, most political parties have agreed to attend, although Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) has yet to confirm participation.

According to JUI-F’s provincial spokesperson Haji Abdul Jalil Jan, the party had taken care of all arrangements.

A grand tribal jirga, comprising about 60 elders, will participate in the huddle. The parties will nominate three leaders to attend the jirga proceedings.

“The agenda for this APC is to determine how to bring peace back to Pakistan,” said Jan. However, he refused to comment on whether the jirga will start discussions with the Taliban or look towards government, saying that it is premature to discuss this issue at this time.

This upcoming APC is the second high-powered political huddle aimed at developing a consensus over talks with the Taliban in less than a month.

On February 14, parties gathered in Islamabad under the aegis of the Awami National Party (ANP), which has been under constant attack from militants.

According to the JUI-F, the aim of this APC is to introduce the joint tribal jirga to the political leadership and to garner support for its organic efforts.

Last Thursday, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman told reporters in Peshawar that his party has already briefed the political leadership about the role the jirga can, and should, play. He added that they were already trying to devise ways to talk to the Taliban.

The jirga was formed in December 2012, after a month of long deliberation, with assistance from the JUI-F.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: An electoral partnership between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in the upcoming polls will tilt the political field in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), regardless of the impact it has on the rest of the country.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday agreed to some form of electoral cooperation, with modalities to be chalked out later.

Whether they marry or swap, the likely adjustment is going to affect the outcome of polls in K-P, where both parties have their enclaves of influence – and any adjustment will benefit both.

JUI-F provincial spokesperson Haji Jalil Jan told The Express Tribune both parties have formed committees to define terms of cooperation. Jan said his party and the PML-N will sit down to outline their modus operandi after the all-parties conference.

As far as Jan knows, the plan is to adjust seats between the two parties. In his view, this would be mutually beneficial – in places where JUI-F’s candidates earlier lost by a slim margin, the new partnership will be a “game changer”.

What makes this ‘game-changing’ ploy all the more interesting is the fact that approximately 12 JUI-F candidates narrowly lost across the province in the 2008 elections.

PML-N General Secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak seems happy with the prospect of any form of agreement between the two parties. “If the alliance materialises, we will make a clean sweep in K-P,” said Khattak.

He feigned ignorance over the finer details – whether the parties will opt for seat adjustments or an electoral alliance. “It is not clear so far,” he claimed. According to Khattak, both parties will try to accommodate each other when they start discussions. Khattak pointed out his party was also in talks with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) about potential adjustments.

Again, both JUI-F and PML-N have their own strongholds in the province – some independent footholds and others where the parties can complement each other.

Such politicking is likely to have a significant impact on the outcome of the general elections.

The JUI-F has its stronghold in the southern belt of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while PML-N has its power bastion in Hazara division. It is yet to be seen how former chief of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) K-P chapter, Amir Muqam, joining PML-N will boost its position in Malakand division. Over the years, Muqam has built up political clout on his own merit.

Hazara division and southern K-P have approximately 20 seats each in the provincial legislature, while Malakand division has 23 and central K-P about 36 seats.

If both parties perform well in their traditional strongholds and complement each other in central K-P where they have a relatively weaker hold compared with the Awami National Party and Pakistan Peoples Party, these new political moves will alter the balance.

The party which needs to hedge its bets against this PML-N, JUI-F and possibly JI triad is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The PTI has had its daggers drawn against both PML-N and JUI-F. And perhaps the rise of PTI has nudged the centre right and the religious right into each others’ arms.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2013.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly (K-P) met for its last session which kicked off on Monday with little to discuss and debate.

Attendance was limited as parliamentarians from Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were absent from the proceedings.

The session began with Speaker Kiramatullah Chagarmati congratulating the lawmakers on completing their five-year tenure. The movers of two notices were not present, upon which the speaker asked Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Sardar Hussain Babak to introduce the government’s legislation before the house.

Babak introduced K-P Industrial Statistics Bill 2012, K-P Commercial and Industrial Employment (Standing Order) Bill 2013, K-P Minimum Wages Bill 2013, K-P Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Bill 2013 and K-P Motor Vehicles (amendment) Bill 2013.

On a point of order, Inayatullah Khan Jadoon raised the issue of transfer of teachers who have been promoted under a new policy of the education department. He said the decision was taken too close to the elections and lawmakers were now finding it difficult to deal with hundreds of angry teachers.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s parliamentary leader Qalandar Khan Lodhi agreed with Jadoon and asked the government to postpone its decision, saying teachers have a crucial role in the electoral process.

Babak defended the government’s position and said it had informed all stakeholders through the media about the new policy. He said on several occasions he had seen around 30 teachers in a single primary school, where seven would have been sufficient. Under the new policy, the teacher-student ratio will be more evenly divided, he added.

“If the current government had not made the decision, another one would have, why should we let the opportunity to introduce reforms pass by?” claimed Babak.

Jadoon, however, remained unsatisfied with the minister’s statements, upon which the speaker asked him to discuss the matter further during the tea break.

The speaker also directed secretary education to take up the issue of the illegal occupation of a school principal’s house by a Swat sessions judge with the Peshawar High Court (PHC) chief justice.

The matter had been raised by PPP lawmaker Noor Sahar who informed the house that when the deputy commissioner’s office told the sessions judge about the assembly’s ruling, he threatened them with arrests.

Babak added the education department too had done all that was in its power and took up the issue with concerned quarters. In response, the speaker told him to take the matter up with the PHC.

The session was later adjourned till Tuesday afternoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2013.

Presently, power outages in Ghazi last for 18 hours at a stretch.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary leader Pir Sabir Shah drew the house’s attention to the Tarbela dam, which was built on the ancestral land of the inhabitants of Ghazi, the same people who have to endure the extensive blackouts.

Other parliamentarians, Gohar Zaman and Waqar Khan, also expressed their concerns at the situation.

Responding to the lawmakers, the information minister said: “The project was made diverting our river and its initial design was also altered.”

The original design of Ghazi-Barotha, situated downstream Tarbela dam, was not implemented during the construction. No dams should be constructed downstream Tarbela, he further said. “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is not ready to give even one percent of its water share.”

“We want to redesign Ghazi-Barotha, which was made diverting our river,” he said, adding the federal government is taking water from K-P and diverting it to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Punjab should provide water to the twin cities from its share, he said.

Hussain expressed his concerns over prolonged power outages across the province and said it may be an attempt against the incumbent government. “Is it being done to demonize the government?” he asked rhetorically.

Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagarmati, however, directed the Water and Power Development Authority to stick to its power outage schedule across the province.

Compensation for 2010 floods

After the 2010 floods, the government paid Rs1.03 billion in compensation to various districts for relief activities and monetary aid for the injured and families of the deceased, the assembly was informed earlier during the question hour.

The question was raised by PPP lawmaker Noor Sehar. The details submitted to the assembly showed Rs438 million were issued as compensation for the dead and injured, while nearly Rs595 million was distributed for relief activities across the province.

In addition, Rs106.5 million was allocated to other agencies during the floods, raising the total allocation to Rs1.16 billion.

Upon a query made by Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl lawmaker Mufti Syed Janan, the house was informed that a plan to set up the Agriculture University in Hangu was not moving forward due to a lack of funds.

In Wednesday’s session, the government also introduced the K-P Motor Vehicles (amendment) bill 2013, K-P Finance (amendment) bill 2013, K-P Workers Compensation Bill 2013, K-P Maternity Bill 2013 and the K-P Factories Bill 2013.

The Auditor General of Pakistan reports of 24 districts for the year 2010-11 were also presented before the house and later handed to the Public Account Committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2013.

Talking to reporters at his residence, Saifullah said he would like to hold a meeting with Hoti in order to discuss and share names for the caretaker chief minister. Saifullah, however, did not disclose the names.

He said Hoti also had a discussion with K-P Assembly’s Opposition Leader Akram Khan Durrani and shared names with him. “We will hold further discussions on the matter. Everyone will know the caretaker chief minister within a week,” he added.

Saifullah rubbished reports of dissension within the party ranks and said the PPP remains united in K-P under his leadership. “Journalists write whatever they like and these reports are not correct.”

The PPP will not opt for a grand seat adjustment across the province in the upcoming general elections, and any electoral agreement will be on a small scale. “We have strong candidates who can win elections,” he said.

PPP’s district wings have yet to decide on three candidates. Saifullah said there are no differences over allotting seats.

“It is the right of every worker to ask for a party ticket. However, once the party’s parliamentary board awards the tickets, everyone must abide by the decision,” he said, adding those who do not will face disciplinary action. “Decisions will not be made behind closed doors and district chapters will be included in the decision making process.”

Commenting on the popularity of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in K-P, Saifullah said PPP had the largest share of votes in the 2008 elections and admitted any party in power has a comparative disadvantage in public popularity.

Once elections are announced, PPP workers will come out and work hard to win the election. “We will give everyone a surprise,” he added.

Saifullah also downplayed reports of differences with senior party leaders and federal communication minister Arbab Alamgir over allotting the PK-5 seat to Alamgir’s cousin, Arbab Arif.

Saifullah said the party will award Liaqat Ali Gillani a ticket for NA-6 (Nowshera). Gillani, who was earlier PML-N’s district vice president of Nowshera, announced he will join the PPP unconditionally. Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Libas Khan has also announced his decision to join the PPP.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2013.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Dr Faiza Rashid, while speaking on the floor of the house on International Women’s Day, rebuked male parliamentarians, saying they were not ready to consider female members as equals because they were elected on reserved seats.

“We always have to hear taunts that you are not directly elected,” Faiza said. She asked for the discrimination to be put to an end, maintaining there is no law which says being elected on reserved seats makes one inferior.

K-P Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain said being elected on a reserved seat was a privilege and more prestigious than being directly elected, as it takes three to four lawmakers to select one woman on a reserved seat. However, he also pointed out problems which hinder women’s participation in the electoral process, saying currently it was difficult even for males to contest elections.

Hussain said planned segregation in the society has also adversely affected the status of women. “Previously, boys and girls used to study together at the primary level, but now the situation has changed,” he said.

In his concluding remarks, Hussain said the protection of women’s rights was not only the duty of women, but also society’s collective responsibility. He added social contradictions and the tribal system among other issues impact women’s rights.

Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Chagarmati said the assembly session was part of the commemoration of International Women’s Day and that it appreciates the role women play in the development of Pakistan.

“We must not forget and should look at the women around us who are suffering from all sorts of deprivation,” he said.

Legislation

The assembly also passed six bills, while two other bills were introduced in the house during the course of the proceedings.

The assembly unanimously passed K-P Industrial Statistics Bill 2013, K-P Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Bill 2013, K-P Minimum Wages Bill 2013 and K-P Motor Vehicles (amendment) Bill 2013, while K-P Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Bill 2013 and K-P Foodstuffs (control) Amendment Bill 2013 were passed with amendments.

Minister for Higher Education Qazi Asad introduced K-P Universities (amendment) Bill 2013 and Minister for Environment Wajid Ali Khan introduced K-P Rivers Protection (amendment) Bill 2013 in the house. The assembly session was later adjourned till Monday afternoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: Ajmal Khattak, a senior Awami National Party (ANP) leader, was among those politicians who met former military dictator Pervez Musharraf soon after the 1999 coup d’état. The move, however, did not go down well for Khattak.

The two-time president of ANP was forced to resign from the party. He said party leaders wanted to use his initiative to release Azam Khan Hoti from the National Accountability Bureau’s custody, but Khattak resisted seeing it as a party violation.

Much has changed since then. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, ANP supported military operations against the Taliban in tribal areas and Malakand division. ANP detractors proclaimed the party had parted ways from its nationalist and secular outlook, and had jumped on the establishment’s bandwagon.

This perception became so pervasive that poet and writer of Khudai Khidmatgar fame Saadullah Jan Burq accused the party’s leadership of going against its original stance. Burq’s criticism was so determined he authored a book titled ‘From Khudai khidmatgari to military.’

He contended that while Bacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan were great ideological personalities, ideologies change with people and this phenomenon is inevitable.

“Ideology is beyond winning or losing and should be adhered to at all costs,” Burq said, adding the ANP leadership wanted power at the cost of what it stood for, and that ANP’s pro-establishment policies were opportunistic.

Farid Tofan, a former leader who was later expelled from the party, traces the roots of ANP’s changing policy to Asfandyar Wali Khan’s appointment as the party’s president. “Previously ANP’s policy was secular and hinged on separation of religion and politics.”

He said after Asfandyar took over as president, he arranged a conference at Bacha Khan Markaz, which was attended by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leaders among others. There Asfandyar declared the union of the mosque and hujra.

“ANP is no longer a nationalist party, which is why Aftab Sherpao has formed a nationalist party to fill this vacuum,” said Tofan. “It is no longer an anti-establishment party and those people who called the army a ‘Punjabi Army’ are now being dictated by generals on politicking.”

Analyst Khadim Hussain believes otherwise. “The ANP did not deviate from its stance. However, instead of speaking in public, they now speak to the establishment in private meetings,” Khadim said.

He acknowledged that religio-tribal discourse which has spread like a social contagion has impacted the party. “The party is struggling against this discourse, which is why it disassociated itself from Ghulam Ahmad Bilour’s bounty announcement,” Khadim said while referring to the minister’s offer for killing the filmmaker who made ‘Innocence of Muslims’.

ANP’s Provincial General Secretary Arbab Tahir also disagrees with the notion that the party has become pro-establishment. If the policies espoused by Bacha Khan had changed, then the party would not have stood against the Taliban in the war on terror, he said, adding the party’s policies are subject to ground realities and follow the policies of the Government of Pakistan.

Considering what the Pakistani society is facing, everyone should put their own house in order instead of criticising others. Otherwise, it will lead to chaos, asserted Tahir.

NAP to ANP

ANP’s predecessor, National Awami Party (NAP) was formed in 1957, but was soon labeled as anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan. Within seven years of its existence, NAP split into two factions – one headed by Wali Khan in West Pakistan and the other led by Maulana Bhashani in erstwhile East Pakistan.

The split came over extending support for Ayub Khan’s election bid. Wali Khan supported Fatima Jinnah, while Bhashani’s faction favoured Ayub because of his leaning towards China. However, NAP was banned in 1975 by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto following an operation in Balochistan.

By the mid-1980s, Wali Khan had formed the ANP with democracy, nationalism, secularism, human rights, social justice and an independent foreign policy as its key pillars.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Monday termed the March 9 mob attack on a Christian residential colony in Lahore an ‘act of terrorists’.

Addressing lawmakers during the K-P Assembly session, Hussain said the agenda of terrorists behind the Badami Bagh incident was to spread hatred in society. “Different sects are being pitched against each other in a conspiracy to destabilise the country.”

Hussain condemned the incident saying burning down people’s houses was similar to the terror acts of medieval times. He added this was not the time for point scoring or playing the blame game. “It is not just minorities who are being targeted – the army, schools, and health workers are also under attack.”

Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Awami National Party’s (ANP) minority lawmaker Asif Bhatti criticised the provincial government of Punjab, saying the incident took place in the presence of police, who silently looked on and did not take any action. “Every time the PML-N is in power, Christians have to face such attacks. The Shanti Nagar, Gojra and Sangla Hill incidents have all taken place under the PML-N’s rule,” said Bhatti.

“Those charged under the blasphemy law are punished, but has anyone who has levelled false blasphemy allegations ever been punished, and will anyone be punished for burning over 200 Bibles?” Bhatti asked the house.

The lawmaker later staged a walkout from the assembly, but was brought back by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) legislator Abdul Akbar Khan.

Legislation

The assembly passed the K-P Finance (amendment) Bill 2013, K-P Worker Compensation Bill 2013, K-P Maternity Benefits Bill 2013 and K-P Factories Bill 2013. Whereas the K-P Arms Bill 2013, K-P Explosive Substances Bill 2013 and K-P Prohibition of Usurious Loans Bill 2013 were introduced.

The house also deferred the passage of K-P Motor Vehicles (amendment) Bill 2013 after a long debate over a proposed amendment by Abdul Akbar Khan, who suggested seven-day imprisonment for drivers not possessing registration documents. However, transport minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Excise Minister Liaqat Shahbab and Labour Minister Sher Azam Wazir opposed the proposal.

ANP lawmaker Saqibullah Chamkani also opposed the seven-day jail term, saying it will have adverse impacts. Upon this, Abdul Akbar Khan suggested that instead of seven-day imprisonment the amendment will introduce week-long impounding of the vehicle whose driver has no valid registration. The assembly did not oppose it, thus the speaker deferred the amendment till Tuesday in order to incorporate the changes in writing.

The session was adjourned till Tuesday afternoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2013.

The session which had to start at 4pm was delayed for over two and a half hours, eventually starting at 6:30pm.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain was the sole member from the ruling Awami National Party (ANP). Only 50 members turned up at the assembly.

When the session started, Israrullah Khan Gandapur pointed towards the quorum, upon which Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Chagarmati first congratulated the lawmakers on completing the five-year tenure. The speaker followed this by reading out Governor Shaukatullah Khan’s prorogation order.

“I am announcing prorogation with a heavy heart,” said Chagarmati.

The irate PPP parliamentarians argued if the quorum is not complete; technically the assembly is not in session and cannot be discontinued. However, Chagarmati maintained the governor has the remit to call and prorogue a session.

Talking to the media outside the assembly, a frustrated Abdul Akbar Khan hinted the ANP was not happy with the assembly’s private-member day agenda.

He said PPP members had the majority of bills on the agenda. Khan asserted his party members had several important bills, including the contract employees’ regularisation and the Public Service Commission. Perhaps the ANP was not satisfied with the PPP’s legislation, stated Abdul Akbar Khan.

“Tuesday’s agenda was the largest in parliamentary history, as it had 35 items,” said Khan. When the governor’s order was read, the assembly was not in session as there were not enough members present – the prorogation announcement could not have been made in such a situation, maintained the aggravated PPP lawmaker.

Information Minister Hussain denied the ANP purposefully created a “quorum problem”. “Maybe it was a coincidence that none of [the ANP] lawmakers turned up for the session,” he said. “So far it was the ANP which was meeting the assembly quorum.”

According to Hussain, many lawmakers left the house after the session was delayed and the order was received in the assembly secretariat at around 3:45pm.

However, the end of the assembly session was quite unexpected as on Monday, the speaker had hinted the meeting will run till March 15 when a photo session would take place and all lawmakers had to ensure their presence.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, office bearers of All Homeopathic Doctors and Tibbi Association (AHDTA) and Adhoc Lecturers Association (ALA) said the provincial government had assured them it would regularise 254 contract lecturers and 50 doctors.

AHDTA President Hakim Mohammad Nasir and ALA President Qazi Zafar Iqbal said they had pinned their hopes on a bill calling for regularisation of contract employees to be tabled in the provincial legislature. The promise was not fulfilled as the house was prorogued due to a quorum issue, without tabling the regularisation bill, said Nasir.

“The government appointed 50 homeopathic doctors and hakims in 24 districts of the province on contract. All these people will lose their jobs if they are not regularised,” he said adding that for many, this is the only job they have. “All adhoc lecturers, hakims and homeopaths are highly qualified and deserve a permanent position.”

AHDTA president added the Punjab government has regularised their employees and demanded that the K-P government should also honour its commitment.

For the past several months, protest of these contract lecturers and homeopaths has been a regular feature outside the K-P assembly to press the government for their demand.

The issue has also come up on the floor, however, nothing concrete has come out of it.

The last ray of hope for these employees was a private member bill from Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentary Leader Abdul Akbar Khan which was on the assembly’s agenda for Tuesday but could not be presented.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2013.

On Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders met two of the leading right-wing parties, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), to explore possibilities for seat adjustments.

JI’s provincial chief Professor Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, while talking to The Express Tribune, confirmed both parties had agreed to cooperate in the upcoming polls during a meeting held at the residence of PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah. Khan said leaders from both sides had agreed on seat adjustments across K-P.

However, Ibrahim said the adjustment details were yet to be decided and a six-member committee, comprising three members from each party, had been constituted to determine the modalities of the proposed arrangements. The JI will be represented by provincial general secretary Shabbir Ahmed Khan, deputy amir Mushtaq Ahmed Khan and Dr Iqbal Khalil, while provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak, Vice President Khawja Mohammad Khan Hoti and Farid Toofan will represent PML-N. “This committee will present its report within a week,” Ibrahim added.

Khattak said the electoral adjustment with JI would encompass the entire province and will not be limited to a few divisions or constituencies.

Ibrahim added a meeting had been scheduled with provincial leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for Sunday, during which the JI will discuss similar arrangements. He added a meeting was also likely with the JUI-F.

Around two weeks ago, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif agreed to form an electoral partnership.

JUI-F’s provincial information secretary Jalil Jan denied reports that the JUI-F was asking for 71 provincial assembly and 18 national assembly seats, adding no party would agree to such demands. “We have our formula and the PML-N also has its own. We will try to come to an agreement that is acceptable to both parties.”

The meeting between JUI-F and PML-N meeting was in progress till the filing of this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2013.

KARACHI / QUETTA / LAHORE / PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly has paid a hefty price to sustain democracy: it lost the largest number of lawmakers as compared to any other provincial assembly. Of the 12 lawmakers who died during the tenure of the assembly, at least three were killed in terror attacks.

Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Alamzeb Khan and Dr Shamsheer Ali Khan were killed in terrorist attacks, while Akhtar Nawaz Khan was killed on account of a family feud.

The tenure began with a thunderous session in which a resolution was passed calling for a United Nations-led investigation into the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Following this session, despite a wave of terror attacks and unrest in the province, the house was able to meet 439 times, and passed up to 102 bills during its five-year tenure from 2008-2013. It met for 71 days during the first parliamentary year, 72 in second, and 108 in third, 101 in fourth and for 87 days in the last year.

During these meetings, the assembly passed 101 bills, including 87 government and 14 private member bills, and 10 ordinances. Furthermore, 320 resolutions were passed separately.

The legislature manifested a commitment to the welfare of women. In keeping with this agenda, the Commission for the Status of Women Bill was passed in 2009, followed by the Enforcement of Women’s Ownership Rights in 2012.

The Child Protection and Welfare Bill, passed in 2010, and the Preventive Health Bill passed in 2012, goes a long way to indicate the assembly’s tilt towards welfare legislation.

The house proceedings heard 1,059 questions answered. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl lawmaker Mufti Kifayatullah asked the most number of questions, about 658, while Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Noor Sehar followed with around 536 questions.

On the other hand, the assembly’s standing committees met about 662 times in the past five years.

Punjab

The Punjab Assembly witnessed a regime of fiery discourses, petty squabbling and some very important bills. Its constitutional term is scheduled to end on April 8.

Of the 154 bills introduced, 133 were passed by the assembly in a total of 45 sessions. The famed Punjab Local Government Amendment Bill sailed through the assembly several times, got tweaked by five amendments, finally stalling local body elections. Secondly, the Punjab Katchi Abadis Amendment Act 2012 provided land ownership rights to several hundred peopls across the province. Thirdly, the assembly also passed several bills pertaining to the formation of women’s universities. Some amendments over house rules were also made. The assembly met for a total of 302 days.

The resolutions about the formation of a South Punjab province and the restoration of the Bahawalpur province, were passed unanimously during the final months of the assembly’s tenure.

Following the passage of the 18th Amendment Bill in 2010, which asked for the devolution of 18 government departments to the provincial level, the Punjab Assembly administered to comprehensive lawmaking, ensuring provincial regulation of these portfolios, instead of resorting to mere notification. The 133 bills passed by the assembly were termed by Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah as no mean feat, as the previous assembly passed fewer bills.

Sessions in the tenure were marked with characteristic acerbity between the ‘loyal’ and ‘turncoat’ lawmakers. Bitterness pervaded ties between women legislators of the Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid, and between leaders like Sheikh Allauddin and Mian Atta Muhammad Maneka. The former group of legislators was also known to give the toughest time to the treasury benches during assembly sessions. Furthermore, peals of laughter followed the regular face-offs between leader of the opposition Raja Riaz and Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah over the rules of the English language.

From the 154 bills introduced in the assembly, 11 are pending in standing committees, 10 are withdrawn, while a total of 133 bills were passed. Furthermore, in five years, a total of 12,798 notices were received, 10,965 are admitted, while 1,713 are disallowed.

A few days earlier, the Punjab cabinet gave its approval for the Right to Information Bill, but, unfortunately, it was not introduced in the assembly for its passage.

Balochistan

During the five-year tenure of the government of Balochistan, the province saw more than its share of devastation. In 40 sessions of the provincial assembly, only 48 bills were passed, while the representatives demonstrated a complete disregard for the people and blatantly pursued their self-interests above all else.

During the last two years, the province received more than Rs360 billion as direct transfers and shares from a divisible pool of resources. Furthermore, the lucrative National Finance Commission Award granted Balochistan additional revenue, raising its share from 5.1% to 9.1% of the national pie.

And yet, quite jarringly, the provincial government did not implement even a single visible mega scheme during its rule. Development funds were wasted on insignificant plans that had no impact on the economy. All the MPAs, also ministers, strangely seemed fixated on developing gutters and nallahs.

Mega schemes that were initiated in Balochistan, such as the first phase of the Gwadar port, the coastal highway, Mirani dam and part of the Kachhi canal, can all be attributed to the federal government. Even so, development and command in these areas is the responsibility of the provincial government. Although the Mirani dam was built and water stored for future use, the representatives failed to develop the command area. This water was not even used to increase grain production. Additionally, Gwadar, too, is still facing a perennial water shortage, even for drinking purposes. Earlier, the Pakistan Navy had to provide water tankers to alleviate some of the scarcity.

In the same vein, the desalination project was another disappointment. The Balochistan Development Authority spent Rs7 billion to build two plants, and seemingly, not a single drop of water was provided to Gwadar.

However, some steps were taken. The Tethyan Copper Company was refused mining rights, which can be viewed as somewhat of a victory over increased foreign interefence. Yet, no one knows if the project will be functional or go into production. Furthermore, the provincial government put an end to the nizam system and installed educated deputy commissioners in every district. Levies presence was also drastically increased. Yet, despite this, the law and order situation worsened considerably during the five year tenure. By all accounts, it seems that the war of attrition that had been raging for over nine years was not halted at all. In fact, it picked up speed. Thousands of residents lost their lives in terrorist attacks, sectarian and other.

Amidst the chaos, it becomes clear that the ‘representatives of the people’ wanted to accomplish little more than live out the duration of their tenure at the government’s expense. Every member of the provincial assembly was made a minister. Effectively, they drew two salaries from the exchequer with all admissible allowances — a free house, free phone, and an army of guards, among other things.

Serving the people? An afterthought, if even that.

Sindh

By the end of its tenure, the Sindh assembly passed a record 142 bills and adopted 185 resolutions. Although the assembly was criticised for failing to amend its own rules and procedures on how to run the house, relying instead on the archaic rules of 1973, it did make education a priority focus during the five years.

Accordingly, Sindh took the lead in making new laws to establish a provincial Higher Education Commission. Most of the legislation revolved around the establishment of public universities and additional campuses. Eleven bills were passed to establish 11 new universities and six campuses in different cities. Most of the institutions were named after the Bhutto family.

And yet, while credit can be given to the government for record legislation, it may be noted that laws were often made instantaneously, without any debate. Around 36 standing committees were formed to initiate dialogue, but hardly five bills were referred to them for consultation.

“Pakistan is the only country where legislation depends on the mood and policy of treasury benches. What can we do if the government, which has majority in the house, doesn’t allow us to move an important bill?” said National Peoples Party MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi. “We have no other option except raising hue and cry.”

Jatoi added that all legislatures have equal rights in other democratic governments but that is certainly not the case here. “The government passed more than 142 bills, but other members were only able to pass four private bills in five years. Three of these were passed on the last day (Friday). This is injustice,” he said.

In the same vein, while 185 resolutions were adopted, only 42 were taken up under the rules and rest were passed out of agenda. According to the official assembly record, half of the law came about through a loophole system by promulgating the ordinances rather than moving the bills. Some laws were passed within three to four minutes.

Ineffective and uninterested MPAs also hindered the law-making process. Out of 168 members, the majority of the lawmakers did not raise the issues of their constituencies, nor did they take part in legislation. Former speaker of the Sindh Assembly Muzzaffar Shah said, “Most of the MPAs had no idea what the difference between a bill and a resolution was.” Among the top four most effective MPAs, three were women –Pakistan Peoples Party’s Humera Alwani and Heer Ismail Soho, and Muttahida Quami Movement’s Nusrat Seher Abbasi. They remained actively involved with legislation, submitting resolutions and asking questions. Arif Mustafa Jatoi took the top slot.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader Jam Madad pointed out that the assembly remained without a privilege committee for last four years and the government violated the law by appointing a Public Accounts Committee chairman from its own party. Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro was less critical. “This is a democratic government and we consulted every parliamentary leader before moving a bill,” he said.

He added that over 100,000 contractual employees had been regularised, setting a precedent for assemblies to come.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2013. 

PESHAWAR: As talks of seat adjustments and alliances continue, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have agreed to an electoral partnership in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The announcement was made on Sunday after leaders of both parties held a meeting at JI Peshawar district chief Bahrullah Khan’s residence.

Addressing reporters, JI Provincial Amir Professor Mohammad Ibrahim Khan confirmed both parties had constituted a committee which would decide on seat adjustments within a week.

The JI will be represented by Provincial General Secretary Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Provincial Deputy Amir Mushtaq Ahmed Khan and Dr Iqbal Khalil, while Provincial General Secretary Shaukat Yousafzai, Shah Farman and regional coordinators for each of the four regional chapters would speak for the PTI. Khan maintained the JI would not only oppose delays to the election, it would also resist any such move. “There is no alternative to elections and people should have the right to elect their leadership.”

PTI provincial president Asad Qaiser hoped both parties would be able to forge a consensus regarding seat adjustments. He said both parties had been part of the All-Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) in the past and would continue to cooperate in the future.

Leaders from the parties were quick to reject any rumours regarding an alliance with K-P’s ruling coalition partners, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP), blaming them for the woes of the country. Both parties agreed to hold another meeting on March 26, after preparing detailed reports regarding the prospects of electoral cooperation.

JI leaders said they had nominated over 90% of their candidates for national and provincial assembly seats, while the PTI maintained party activists could submit applications for their candidacy until March 18.

PML-N and JUI-F

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders also held a meeting that continued till late on Saturday night. Their six-member committee discussed details of an election partnership.

However, signals given by the PML-N indicate both parties are far from any kind of consensus. A PML-N member told The Express Tribune that the JUI-F, in addition to demanding those seats which it had won in the 2008 elections, also wanted seats in which its candidates had been runner-ups and bagged a higher percentage of votes.

“We told them that a lot has changed and that 2008 cannot be used as a benchmark,” he said, adding any adjustments should be based on ground realities. “There is no guarantee that a party will perform well again in the same constituencies as it did in 2008,” he argued. “If this is the case other parties should leave space for PPP and ANP candidates.”

He said the JUI-F is eager to keep everything for itself, adding seat adjustments would be carried out where both parties had almost no chances of winning. “Seats where both parties think that they can win will be left open.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) ongoing negotiations on seat adjustment in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have achieved little so far.

On Monday, leaders from both parties met at the residence of PML-N leader Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, in the second meeting between both parties in less than a week. PML-N was represented by Khawaja Hoti, Farid Toofan and general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak, while the JUI-F team comprised Maulana Attaur Rehman, Shamsur Rehman Shamsi and Mufti Abdul Shakoor. However, the participants failed to reach an agreement.

The leaders were scheduled to meet again on Tuesday night, but the meeting was cancelled due to other engagements of both parties’ leaders.

The PML-N and JUI-F have been giving contradictory signals about the outcome of the ongoing talks. While PML-N leaders are painting a bleak picture of the negotiations, terming the JUI-F as over demanding, a JUI-F negotiator on the other hand claimed the talks were heading in a positive direction.

Mufti Abdul Shakoor, a JUI-F negotiator seemed hopeful about the outcome of talks with the PML-N. He claimed both parties had made headway towards adjustments and were discussing constituencies. “We have agreed for maximum cooperation and hopefully will achieve that, despite difficulties,” he stated.

A PML-N member, however, told The Express Tribune no significant progress had been made on the matter of seat adjustment. “They (the JUI-F) are making a lot of heavy demands which are quite difficult to accept,” he said while requesting anonymity.

Another point of contention between the parties is the JUI-F’s refusal to accommodate nominees who have recently joined the PML-N. “They say they will retain most of the seats they won in the last elections as well as seats they lost with a small margin. We have no problem with that; however, what we want them to take into account are those people who have recently joined the PML-N.”

Two of the heavyweights who have joined PML-N over the past few months are former Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid provincial president, Amir Muqam and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti.

Interestingly, a few days back, JUI-F’s district chapter in Shangla, which is Muqam’s hometown, issued a statement saying they will not accept any kind of adjustment with PML-N at district level.

The district chapter also demanded the provincial chapter to exempt Shangla from the framework of seat adjustment with the PML-N, blaming Muqam for being a part of the Lal Masjid attack of 2007. This was quite unheard of in the case of the JUI-F, where such issues are specifically left to the prerogative of the provincial chapter.

Initially, Khawaja Hoti, after parting ways with the PTI, had entered into lengthy talks with the JUI-F. The party leaders had even announced that he was joining them, but Hoti joined the PML-N.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan dissolved the Sindh Assembly Tuesday night on the advice of Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have had two marathon, brainstorming sessions since Sunday to develop consensus on a caretaker chief minister. The two sides are said to have agreed on the name of Justice (Retd) Zahid Qurban Alvi for the slot.

Shah and his former cabinet ministers have flown to Islamabad to convey the decision to the PPP top leadership.

According to sources, the caretaker cabinet would comprise around a dozen ministers. It was not immediately known when the caretaker chief minister would be sworn in, but sources said that the oath-taking ceremony could take place on Thursday.

Although the PPP and MQM have developed consensus –other opposition parties say Justice Alvi is unacceptable to them.

“Justice Alvi is close to Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah. How he could be a neutral person? It’s pre-poll rigging and we don’t accept it,” said Nusrat Seher Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F).

Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the National Peoples Party also rejected Justice Alvi’s nomination. “The MQM had to consult all opposition parties before proposing a nominee,” he said.

Abdul Razzaque Rahimoon of the Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded also accused Justice Alvi of being partisan. “He had affiliation with the PPP. The interim set-up will call into question the fairness and transparency of the entire election process,” he said.

K-P Assembly

In Peshawar, an official at the Governor House told The Express Tribune that Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan signed the summary moved by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti for the dissolution of the K-P Assembly at midnight.

An interim chief minister has already been picked out. On March 15, Chief Minister Hoti and Opposition Leader Akram Khan Durrani had unveiled Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez as interim chief minister.

An official told The Express Tribune that Hoti had vacated the Chief Minister House a few days ago. He did not return to the Chief Minister House after meeting Premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf along with his counterparts from other provinces in Islamabad two days ago and instead, went to his hometown in Mardan.

The official added that the caretaker chief minister would be sworn in today (Wednesday) around 5:00pm. The Governor House, however, has yet to issue an invitation for the ceremony.

Punjab Assembly

All provincial chief ministers had agreed in a meeting with Premier Ashraf two days ago that the assemblies would be dissolved by March 19.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided in principle to dissolve the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Wednesday (today). The decision was taken at a high-level party huddle at the PML-N Central Secretariat in Model Town. They decided that the dissolution of the provincial assembly would be announced by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at a news conference. He would list the five-year performance of his government and send the advice to dissolve the assembly to Governor Makhdoom Syed Ahmed Mahmud.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif will reach Pakistan at 4:00am from Dubai and, according to Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he would consult PML-F leadership in Sindh and nationalist parties in Balochistan before the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

The PML-N and PPP are still deadlocked over the issue of caretaker chief minister. The former has proposed Justice (Retd) Amir Raza and former federal secretary Khawaja Zaheer for the slot, while the latter has proposed three names – Asma Jahangir, Mian Amir Mehmood and Hefeez Akhtar Randhawa. Interestingly, Asma and Mian Amir have already turned down the role of a caretaker.

If the deadlock persists after three days of the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, then the speaker will form a six-member committee – with three members from both the opposition and the government – to decide the matter. If the committee, too, fails to evolve a consensus, the matter will go to the Election Commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.

On Monday, leaders from both parties met at the residence of PML-N leader Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, in the second meeting between both parties in less than a week. The PML-N was represented by Khawaja Hoti, Farid Toofan and general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak, while the JUI-F team comprised Maulana Attaur Rehman, Shamsur Rehman Shamsi and Mufti Abdul Shakoor. However, the participants failed to reach an agreement.

The leaders were scheduled to meet again on Tuesday night but the meeting was cancelled due to other engagements of both parties’ leaders.

The PML-N and JUI-F have been giving contradictory signals about the outcome of the ongoing talks. While PML-N leaders are painting a bleak picture of the negotiations, terming the JUI-F as over demanding, a JUI-F negotiator on the other hand claimed the talks were heading in a positive direction.

Mufti Abdul Shakoor, a JUI-F negotiator seemed hopeful about the outcome of talks with the PML-N. He claimed both parties had made headway towards adjustments and were discussing constituencies. “We have agreed for maximum cooperation and hopefully will achieve that, despite difficulties,” he stated.

A PML-N member, however, requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune no significant progress had been made on the matter of seat adjustment.  “They (the JUI-F) are making a lot of heavy demands which are quite difficult to accept,” he said

Another point of contention between the parties is the JUI-F’s refusal to accommodate nominees who have recently joined the PML-N. “They say they will retain most of the seats they won in the last elections as well as seats they lost with a small margin. We have no problem with that; however, what we want them to take into account are those people who have recently joined the PML-N.”

Two of the heavyweights who have joined the PML-N over the past few months are former Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid provincial president, Amir Muqam and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti.

Interestingly, a few days back, the JUI-F’s district chapter in Shangla, which is Muqam’s hometown, issued a statement saying that they will not accept any kind of adjustment with PML-N at district level.

The district chapter also demanded the provincial chapter to exempt Shangla from the framework of seat adjustment with the PML-N, blaming Muqam for being a part of the Lal Masjid attack of 2007. This was quite unheard of in the case of the JUI-F, where such issues are specifically left to the prerogative of the provincial chapter.

Initially, Khawaja Hoti, after parting ways with the PTI, had entered into lengthy talks with the JUI-F. The party leaders had even announced that he was joining them, but Hoti joined the PML-N.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.

However, the ANP, which championed secular politics in a conservative region, survived its five-year tenure despite difficult times and mounting attacks on its leadership. Notwithstanding allegations of corruption and mismanagement, the ANP government and its coalition partner Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) performed well compared to their counterparts in Sindh and Balochistan.

Soon after coming into power, the ANP was faced with a Taliban force that was gradually eroding the writ of the state across the province, particularly in Swat. Additionally, the security situation in Malakand was going from bad to worse, with Upper and Lower Dir paralysed at the hands of militants who were advancing on nearby Buner.

Throughout its election campaign, ANP leaders promised to bring peace to the war-torn region. Concentrating on Swat, they acted wisely by opting to engage the Taliban in dialogue. The ANP came under heavy criticism for accepting a condition under the March 2009 ceasefire which allowed militant leader Sufi Mohammad to impose Sharia law across Malakand. However, in retrospect this provided the government with an opportunity to rid the Swat valley of extremists once and for all.

A video showing a girl being flogged by militants outraged the nation and resulted in the launch of Operation Rah-e-Raast in May 2009, which rooted the Taliban. Thus ANP’s biggest political gamble paid off when it allowed the nation to build a consensus against acts of terrorism. The party proved itself to be a lone voice against terrorism, amid a confusing web of conspiracy theories obfuscating the true issue facing the country.

“In 2008, militants had established networks and were achieving a sort of social control,” said Khadim Hussain, head of the Bacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation. “It was the ANP that introduced an alternative discourse.”

The aftermath of the military operation in Swat left the ANP to face the crisis of internally displaced persons (IDPs), with over a million IDPs pouring into transit camps. Yet their repatriation was quick as almost all displaced people were returned home within a short period of time.

But the ANP paid dearly for its stance against terrorism when the Taliban targeted and killed around 700 party workers. Although ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan narrowly survived a suicide attack, senior minister Bahir Ahmad Bilour was not as lucky and died in a targeted attack on December 22, 2012.

The party also dealt with other issues such as the floods in 2010, which devastated huge swaths of territory across the province, causing over 1,000 deaths. Moreover, the 18th Amendment, which resulted in the province being renamed, was a long -standing ANP demand. “The aftermath of the 18th Amendment immensely benefited K-P,” argued Hussain, adding the party lobbied the National Assembly despite being a minority.

A lesser-known achievement is the ANP’s investment in education, with over seven universities opened under its tenure. According to Hussain, establishing and developing an educational network in the aftermath of floods and militancy was the party’s second greatest contribution after breaking the extremists’ iron grip in the region. Hussain also claimed the ANP’s devotion to developing infrastructure and communication is manifested in developments from roads to radio.

Finally, before completing its tenure, the party ensured negotiations with the opposition resulted in the swift selection of the caretaker chief minister (CM). Perhaps the fact that the K-P interim CM has already taken his oath while debates on the caretaker setup still continue in Islamabad is a sign of progress of the province.

In a nutshell, the ANP came into power facing immense challenges. Holding its own against such odds was a remarkable achievement.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2013.