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Friday, June 18, 2010


Pandemonium in Senate over Kalabagh dam

* ANP senators start shouting as PML-Q Senator Tariq Azeem proposes discussing viability of Kalabagh Dam

By Zeeshan Javaid

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) and the Awami National Party (ANP) were locked in a heated debate over the Kalabagh Dam issue in Senate on Thursday.

Senate Chairman Farook H Naek had to adjourn proceedings for 15 minutes due to the ensuing pandemonium in the Upper House of the Parliament.

The confrontation started when PML-Q Senator Tariq Azeem proposed to build consensus on the Kalabagh Dam project during the budget discussion. He said that the government should get the opinion of local and international technical experts as well as senators and political parties over the Kalabagh project.

ANP’s Haji Adeel opposed the proposal and continued speaking against it despite repeated requests by the Senate chairman to maintain decorum.

“Freedom of expression is everybody’s right. This is democracy and we should all listen to Tariq Azeem,” Naek said, as he asked the senators to sit down.

However, ANP senators Ilyas Bilour, Zahid Khan and Khalid Soomro from Sindh continued to voice their opposition to Azeem’s proposal.

Later, when the PML-Q senator tried to resume his speech, he was interrupted again. “I will deliver my comments. This is my right,” said Tariq Azeem when the ANP members again shouted and interrupted him. The chairman then adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes.

Budget discussion: When the house resumed its discussion on the budget, Senator Hafiz Rasheed from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) demanded the elimination of “interest culture” from the country, as well as the removal of privileges available to government leaders.

Senator Haji Lashkari Raisani from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that like its predecessors, the present government relied heavily on loans form the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international financial institutions. However, he said the whole burden of foreign loans is eventually shifted to the common man.

He said that the government had failed to get adequate aid from the Friends of Pakistan forum. “Only one Islamic country has given a small amount of aid to Pakistan,” he said.

Senator Talha Mehmood from the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) stressed the need for the establishment of new provinces. He said that a separate province should also be formed for the people of Hazara.

Senator Safdar Abbasi from the PPP said that during last five years, there had been a huge increase in taxes. “However, no government has introduced any policy to provide relief to the common man,” he said.

Privileged motion: Senator Haji Adeel submitted a privileged motion against the remarks of Barrister Akram Shaikh. He said Shaikh had used “rough language” against senators and members of the National Assembly and strongly condemned his remarks. He demanded an inquiry into the issue. The Senate chairman then referred the matter to Senate’s privileges committee.



Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

 

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