The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Friday declared that the Action in Aid of Civil Power Rules, 2011 is a law that violates basic human rights and passed a resolution passed by the KP Assembly to withdraw its appeal against the law in the high court.
In 2019, the then Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) provincial government expanded the law to the entire province; However, the Peshawar High Court struck down the measure, calling the law a violation of basic human rights. However, the government later obtained a stay order on the Supreme Court 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 that the implementation of the law in KP and the merged districts is against basic rights and withdraw its appeal against it before the Supreme Court,” the resolution said.
On Friday, Assistant Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Shafiullah Jan told the media that the most important decision taken at the cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, concerned the regulation of Action in Aid of Civil Power.
Jan, briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, said the law was being misused and the government had raised concerns. He added that the cabinet also approved a commission of inquiry to investigate the attack on the Radio Pakistan building on May 9 during what it described as a “false flag operation.”
He said the commission formed to investigate the attack on Radio Pakistan in Peshawar would collect all available evidence, including CCTV footage, and present its findings to the cabinet. He added that the names of the commission members will be defined at the next cabinet meeting.
“The KP government believes that the May 9 operation was against the PTI, to dismantle the party and send its founder Imran Khan behind bars. The PTI has achieved nothing since May 9,” he said, questioning who benefited from May 9 as it was used against the PTI.
The Prime Minister’s advisor also criticized Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi for speaking against the Pashtuns, adding that an entire Pashtun generation had given their lives. He said the federal government should be asked how the explosives entered Pakistan as the federal government controls the border.
Jan said the provincial government brought all KP political leaders under one roof and the draft finalized after the peace jirga would be discussed in the security committee, followed by a provincial action plan. He also said that the ToR would be finalized and details would be shared with the corps commander, adding that the final decision would be taken by the prime minister.
The aide also said they would improve police capacity so that the department could counter militancy in the province. Jan added that the cabinet decided not to spend taxpayers’ money on advertisements of individuals, adding that the PTI believed in transparency and that the cabinet had decided that there would be zero tolerance for corruption.
He explained that the provincial government provided a grant of Rs 4 billion for the displaced people since they 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 for the last three years.
The prime minister’s aide informed that a package of Rs 6 billion had been announced for the provision of missing facilities in schools across the province, adding that the prime minister had ordered the release of Rs 1.20 billion. He said 0.745 million children would be enrolled and a stipend would be paid to their parents. In addition, funds were approved for roads in Swat and South Waziristan.
Jan maintained that members of the cabinet and bureaucracy emphasized the need to improve the law and order situation and governance, adding that more decisions would be taken to bring about visible changes in the next three years. The provincial government thanked all political parties, tribal elders and other participants for participating in the peace jirga.
