Balochistan lawmakers condemn alleged harassment of Pakhtuns in Punjab and Sindh

The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday adopted a unanimous resolution condemning the alleged harassment of Pakhtuns living in Punjab and Sindh.

A member of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Nasarullah Zarai, tabled the resolution during the Saturday session of the Balochistan Assembly.

The parliamentary leader of PkMAP, Rahim Ziaratwal, MPA Syed Liaquat Agha and others endorsed the resolution.

The house demanded that the federal government take serious notice of the alleged harassment of Pakhtuns by police in Punjab and Sindh.

Speaking on the resolution, Zarai claimed that police in Punjab and Sindh had rounded up a large number of indigenous Pakhtuns as part of a crackdown against miscreants and terrorists.

“We strongly condemn the inhumane attitude shown by the Punjab police,” he said while presenting the resolution before the house.

The Balochistan Assembly demanded that the federal government ensure the release of all local Pakhtuns in Punjab and Sindh and avoid keeping them behind bars on false pretexts.

Dr Ruqia Hashmi, a PML-Q legislator, also lashed out at Punjab police for harassing Pakhtuns on the pretext of anti-terror operations.

“Pakistan belongs to everyone,” she reiterated, demanding strict action against those who had allegedly singled out the ethnic group for profiling purposes.

Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal legislator, strongly condemned the harassment of Pakhtuns and demanded that the federal government ensure the safety of every Pakistani.

“We stand for a Pakistan without any discrimination,” Sardar Khetran said.

The Balochistan Assembly also demanded an immediate end to the closure of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Chaman and Torkham.

Source: Dawn