RECORDER REPORT

PESHAWAR: Joint opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Tuesday staged walk out from the proceedings to express solidarity with the protesting professors, lecturers and teachers against the draft Education Service Bill 2017.

The debate was triggered by point of order of Munawar Khan of JUI-F who stated that thousands of college teachers have arranged a protest demonstration in front of the Assembly building against the education sector policies of the PTI led coalition government.

He said that on one side the KP government was the claimant of the reformation of the education sector, but on the other the teachers were staging protests.

Sardar Aurangzeb Nalota of the PML-N said the provincial government had declared educational emergency in the province but on the other hand they were negating their own policy through preparation the draft of the bill. He termed the proposed act as “black law for teachers.”

The opposition member asked the provincial government to take all stakeholders on board to resolve the issue and remove misunderstandings.

Sardar Hussain Babak of ANP was critical of the solo flight of the provincial government in each and every matter. He said government was drafting such laws which were unacceptable to people adding the government had converted public hospitals into Medical Teaching Institutes (MTIs) despite strong resistance and still failed to control dengue in Peshawar which had claimed numerous lives.

He claimed that substandard medicines were being provided at public hospitals and whenever any provincial government or federation tries to help, the KP govt refuses on political grounds.

He said KP govt had prepared the draft bill without securing the interests of teachers. He proposed constitution of a committee to resolve the issue.

Nighat Orakzai of PPP also slammed the KP government and said the proposed bill was not interested in the progress and development of the province.

Raja Faisal Zaman of the PML-N was critical of the absence of members of treasury benches from the House and deplored that the concerned minister was not available to satisfy the opposition and the protesters outside assembly.

Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli of QWP also criticized the government and announced to stage walkout from the assembly to express solidarity with teachers over the issue. The other opposition members also followed Anisa Zeb.

In the meanwhile, Parliamentary Secretary on Environment Fazal Elahi said that he had tried to arrange a meeting with the protesting teachers but had come to know that the teachers were protesting on behest of the opposition.

Later, Deputy Speaker Mehr Taj Roghani while presiding over the session asked Minister for Law Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi, Minister for Excise & Taxation Mian Jamsheduddin and MPA Shaukat Ali Yousafzai to bring the protesters back in the House. Later, the PPP legislator Nighat Orakzai came to House and pin pointed the lack of quorum.

The Deputy Speaker Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, after finding the lack of quorum, adjourned the proceedings of the house till today (Wednesday) 1400 hours.