Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly admits opposition's motion for debate over Malakand 'lawlessness'

Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has admitted an adjournment motion on the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in Swat and other districts of Malakand division and tribal districts for general discussion, local media reported. The motion was jointly tabled by MPAs of the opposition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Inayatullah Khan and Humaira Khatoon during a session presided over by Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan, Dawn newspaper reported.

The chair warned opposition Awami National Party members Bahadur Khan and Nisar Mohmand of action under Rule 227 of the Provincial Assembly Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules over their 'inappropriate behaviour' as the two tried to speak without his permission. The motion said the law and order situation in Swat and other districts of Malakand division as well as in tribal districts was fast deteriorating causing fears among the residents.

Concerns were expressed over the movement of militants in various parts of the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Malakand Division. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Murad Saeed has accused the country's Shahbaz Sharif-led government of being responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the division.

Saeed, who was a former minister for communications was speaking to the media after visiting the under-construction site of the University of Engineering and Technology at the Kabal area of Swat district, as per The News International."No one will be allowed to sabotage the peace of the area. We have rendered numerous sacrifices to maintain law and order situation in the region," he said. Earlier, it was reported that a district of Balochistan province has been witnessing the law and order situation for the last several months, raising a question mark about the administration.

Dawn newspaper reported that a member of the provincial assembly from the Chagai constituency Mir Mohammad Arif Mohammad Hasni made this statement while speaking to journalists after visiting a man who allegedly received bullet injuries during a robbery attempt near the Pak-Iran border area. The law and order of the country has been deteriorating day by day, even in the country's financial hub Karachi. Reports have also surfaced that multinational companies in Pakistan are worried about the deteriorating law and order situation.

A recent survey conducted by The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) in the country suggested that 70 per cent of the CEOs polled reported security among the top three concerns for them versus 60 per cent a year ago, the Dawn reported. Ground-level feedback from various channels points towards a visible setback to industrial activities due to security challenges cropping up across Pakistan.

The widespread militancy and lawlessness across the country has worsened the internal security situation. There is a rise in criminal gangs at the local level. All of this has further jeopardised the development and peaceful existence of Pakistani society. The chamber had urged law enforcement agencies and other government authorities responsible for promoting investment and business activities to strengthen the overall security environment while especially focusing on foreigners' security and street crimes in the industrial cities of Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)