ABBOTTABAD: A complete wheel-jam and shutter-down strike was observed in the Hazara belt on Sunday in support of the demand for a Hazara province and against the renaming of NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa…
ABBOTABAD: Leaders of the Tehrik Hazara Province on Sunday threatened to hold long mach on Islamabad if their legitimate demand for a separate province was not met. On the call of campaign leader Baba Haider Zaman, a complete shutter down strike was observed in Hazara Division. A public meeting was also held at the Shuhda Chowk in Abbotabad to lodge their protest against the renaming of NWFP as Khber Pakhtunkhwa. Sardar Haider Zaman, Amanullah Khan Jadon, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, Dr Azhar Jadoon and Wasim Khan Jadon addressed the gathering. The speakers said that separate Hazara province would be achieved through a revolution, not by any resolution. They also decided not to hold any talks with the federal as well as provincial government. “Those willing to hold talks will be welcomed only if they bring good news of Hazara province,” they said.
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Wednesday renewed an offer to talk to the people of Hazara Division, saying the government respects their views on the renaming of NWFP. Briefing the media after attending a consultative meeting with Hazara-based MPs, he said a consensus has been reached on seven points in the meeting. “These points include debate on Hazara province and Abaseen in KP Assembly, early completion of judicial inquiry and option of dialogue with the people of Hazara,” he announced. “We are trying to defuse the tense situation in Hazara and are ready for dialogue to resolve the issue.”
PESHAWAR: The name of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw province has been changed at the government’s website; however, the monogram with the NWFP name is still there, Geo News reported Sunday. The webmasters changed the name of the province; however, they forgot to make the necessary change in the monogram which still flashes NWFP at its head. According to government sources, the decision relating how to abbreviate Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw with KP or KPK, is still to be made.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said he is not opposed to creating more provinces, but it should be according to the Constitution and the entire exercise needs proper timing. In an interview with state-run TV channel on Saturday night, he urged the need to strengthen the country. “Dialogue will be held with the people of Hazara Division to remove their grievances and sense of deprivation as it is the prime responsibility of the government to take care of all the parts of the country without any discrimination,” the prime minister said. He said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government would also be taken on board in order to resolve the issue. He added that the government respected the opinion of the common men, as the dictatorship had been replaced by a democratic system. Gilani said the PPP had always struggled for the rights of the masses and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto waged his struggle for the people and not for the sake of power. “Our great leader Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life for the rights of the people and the strengthening of institutions,” he added. He said the nomenclature of the NWFP had been changed keeping in view the voice of the majority. “We respect the mandate of each party and name of the province was changed to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa after the adoption of a resolution by the provincial assembly.” The prime minister said Pakistan was facing many challenges, which necessitated collective efforts to consolidate and strengthen the country. To remove the grievances accumulated during the past 63 years, he said, the government had taken steps for ensuring provincial autonomy and all decisions made to achieve the goal would be implemented so that people could get their rights at their doorsteps. Describing the passage of 18th Amendment as a milestone towards strengthening the Parliament, Premier Gilani said the government was determined to implement the constitutional reforms in letter and spirit. He said Senator Raza Rabbani had been entrusted the task to ensure its implementation while a consultative process was also initiated with the political parties, adding that he had already contacted PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, requesting the two leaders to nominate their members for the committee for implementing the amendment at the earliest.
At least 10 policemen were wounded when a suicide attacker targeted a prison van in Pakistan’s troubled tribal region of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied its involvement in the recent terror strikes across the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and instead blamed the controversial private security firm-Blackwater for the bloodshed.
PESHAWAR: In the wake of deadly suicide attack that took lives of about 24 people on Monday evening, the city of Peshawar stood still on Tuesday. The NWFP-Pakhtunkhwa government announced on Monday to observe three-day mourning in the province. There is complete shutter-down strike in the city. The business community presented a gloomy look as all major city markets and trade center remained closed. Every eye is filled with tears and every head is down. The funerals of most of the Qissa Khwani blast victims have been offered at various places. Another injured of yesterday’s terror attack succumbed to injuries at the Lady Redding Hospital today, raising the death toll to 24. All government activities have been suspended after in response to the three-day mourning call.
ISLAMABAD: The 18th Constitutional Amendment has been challenged at the Supreme Court’’s Lahore registry on Tuesday. Petitioner Barrister Zafarullah challenged in his petition the role of Parliament in appointments of the judges in higher judiciary, maintaining that the amendment was made for political gains. Another petition was also filed against the 18th Amendment in the Lahore High Court challenging the renaming of the NWFP. The petition filed at the Supreme Court’’s Lahore Registry just a day after President Asif Ali Zardari made the 18th Amendment a part of the constitution, raised objections on three points. The first objection was regarding the appointment of the judges, where the petition said that the new procedure would make everything dependent on the legislature. The second point raised was in regard to intra-party elections. The petitioner said that all parties should remain bound to conduct intra-party elections. The petition also challenged the removal of the ban on third time premiership.
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the Constitution has been cleansed of dictatorial amendments. Addressing the participants after singing the 18th Amendment Bill today, President Zardari said, “The illegal clauses have been removed and people of NWFP have finally got their identity.” Like 18th Amendment Bill, politicians should now extend their cooperation in solving the problems facing the people, he said. “All political parties deserve the credit for the restoration of constitution,” he said. Highlighting his achievements, the president said: “People of Balochistan were given Aghaz-e-Haqooq Package while Gilgit-Baltistan got constitutional autonomy.”