Opposition deplores ministers' absence in KP assembly

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Apr, 2026) The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday referred the issues of deforestation in Waziristan and women’s empowerment to the relevant standing committees after detailed discussion, while opposition members strongly criticized the absence of ministers and what they termed weak government response on key public matters.

The session was held under the chairmanship of Presiding Officer Muhammad Israr and began with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the national anthem.

During the question hour, all questions related to the Health Department were deferred due to the absence of the health minister, drawing criticism from opposition lawmakers over the lack of ministerial participation in assembly proceedings.

Pakistan Peoples Party member Asif Khan raised the issue of large-scale tree cutting in Waziristan through a call attention notice.

PPP parliamentary leader Ahmad Karim Kundi said it was the opposition’s responsibility to hold the government accountable, but the seriousness of the government was visibly declining.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was rich in natural resources, yet forests were rapidly disappearing at a time when the world was moving towards carbon credit systems. He added that the issue required immediate policy attention.

Ahmad Kundi also said that the chief minister holding multiple ministries had strengthened bureaucracy while weakening the role of elected representatives, which was affecting governance.

Responding to the debate, Law Minister Aftab Alam said the law and order situation in merged districts, especially Waziristan, remained a major challenge.

He explained that some forests were government-owned, some belonged to communities and others were privately owned, with most forests in Waziristan falling under private ownership.

He said trees were sometimes cut due to security reasons, though such practices were not encouraged.

Asif Khan, in response, said Waziristan was being managed from Tank and Dera Ismail Khan despite severe shortages of basic facilities.

He said schools lacked teachers, roads were in poor condition and forests were disappearing rapidly.

He questioned the status of the billion Tree Tsunami project and said people affected by operations since 2004 had still not received full compensation or their NFC share.

PML-N member Sardar Shahjahan suggested that the government should formulate a comprehensive policy to stop deforestation and provide alternative facilities such as gas and LPG to local communities to reduce dependence on forests.

After discussion, the presiding officer referred the matter to the relevant standing committee.

The issue of women’s empowerment was also raised during the session. MPA Ashbar Jadoon pointed out through a call attention notice that despite government claims, there was still a gap in practical empowerment of women and sought a clear policy on skills development programmes and training centers for women.

The law minister informed the House that the matter had already been referred to a committee. However, the lawmaker complained that no progress had been made so far, prompting the presiding officer to direct the concerned committee to take up the matter at the earliest.