KP Assembly seeks report on lapses, officials’ absence

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday sought a detailed report on the non-implementation of standing committee directives and the absence of government officials from assembly meetings.

The sitting was chaired by Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi. Proceedings began with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the national anthem, after which lawmakers raised a range of public issues on the floor of the house.

At the start of the session, Finance Committee Chairman and Awami National Party lawmaker Arbab Usman voiced strong reservations about the committee’s performance. In response, the deputy speaker directed that a complete report be placed before the assembly so that the relevant minister could take action.

Universities amendment bill passed

During the session, the house also approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities (Amendment) Bill 2026. The bill was presented by Provincial Minister Fazal Shakoor.

Under the amendment, the University of Engineering and Applied Sciences Swat has been renamed The University of Computing Sciences and Information Technology Swat.

Attention notices on cemetery, hospital and roads

Three attention notices were also moved in the assembly, focusing on issues including encroachment at a Christian cemetery in Abbottabad, the absence of a separate counter for senior citizens at a major kidney hospital, and the suspension of work on two road schemes.

Minority lawmaker Askar Parvez raised concern over what he described as increasing activity by an encroachment mafia at the Christian cemetery in Thanda Mira, Abbottabad. He said members of the Christian community were facing serious problems in burying their dead because of continued illegal occupation of the site.

"A similar issue arose in Nothia, Peshawar where despite action, the cemetery was reoccupied within days," Parvez told the house. "Such activities are also ongoing in Kohat."

He further alleged that local officials were supporting the encroachment mafia and said the situation could create a law and order problem.

Responding on behalf of the government, Provincial Information Adviser Shafiullah Jan said the Thanda Mira cemetery had not been formally notified and did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Auqaf Department. He added that letters had been sent to the district administration asking it to take steps.

Parvez, however, told the house that Christian cemeteries belong to the Church of Pakistan rather than the Auqaf Department, and said it was therefore the government’s responsibility to ensure their protection.

In another notice, Pakistan Muslim League-N lawmaker Amna Sardar raised the issue of the Hayatabad Institute of Kidney Diseases. She said a new outpatient department block had been set up months earlier, but no separate counter had been established for senior citizens.

Shafiullah Jan replied that the health department had sent him photographs showing that a dedicated counter for senior citizens was present at the facility.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Dawood Shah highlighted the suspension of work on two Annual Development Programme schemes for the fiscal year 2025-2026. The projects he referred to were the 36-kilometre Sodal-Doda Road scheme and the 14-kilometre Indus Highway to Sarghal via Kamardhand Road scheme. He sought an explanation for the stoppage of work on both projects.