PESHAWAR — Heated arguments and a chaotic uproar disrupted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly session after Speaker Babar Saleem Swati reminded the house that the assembly had previously passed a resolution favoring the creation of a separate Hazara province and forwarded it to the federal government.
The Speaker’s remarks triggered a fierce reaction from Awami National Party (ANP) lawmaker Nisar Baz, who vehemently rejected any legislative resolution aimed at dividing the province. When the Speaker refused to open his microphone, a disgruntled Baz left his seat, marched into the floor of the house, and staged a loud protest in front of the speaker’s dais.
PTI Lawmaker Opposes Creation of Hazara Province
ANP Rejects Provincial Division, Vows to Protect Unity
Directing his protest toward Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Whip Akbar Ayub Khan, the ANP lawmaker shouted that the treasury benches had used their numerical majority to forcefully pass the resolution in the past, declaring that his party would never accept it.
Nisar Baz firmly stated that nationalist forces would foil every attempt to bifurcate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasizing that there would be absolutely no compromise on the geographical unity of the province.
Prior to the commotion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf highlighted the deep-seated grievances and sense of deprivation prevalent across the Hazara Division. He demanded that the provincial government immediately resolve the fundamental infrastructure and socio-economic issues facing the local population.
Static Signals: Why Hazara Forest Protection System Remains Mute
Treasury Benches Warn of Growing Separation Demands
Responding to the opposition’s grievances, PTI’s Akbar Ayub Khan stated that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has already announced a massive, dedicated development package worth Rs. 200 billion for the uplift of the Hazara region. He expressed optimism that this development portfolio would eventually scale up to Rs. 400 billion.
However, Akbar Ayub explicitly warned that if Hazara’s core issues remain unaddressed, the public’s demand for a separate province will inevitably gain significant momentum. He further noted that several lawmakers from the Malakand Division had also expressed political support for a combined “Hazara-Malakand” province in the past.
The legislative floor turned into a battleground of slogans as Nisar Baz continued his aggressive protest in the center of the hall. The tense situation was eventually defused after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Ahmad Kundi and other members intervened, successfully persuading the protesting ANP lawmaker to return to his bench, allowing the assembly proceedings to resume normal business.
