News
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Govt failed to handle price hike, law and order, economy, Senate told
* People seek arms licences to protect themselves
* War on terror yielded more losses than aid
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: As the Senate continued its debate on the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament on Friday, the legislators came down hard on the federal government for its failure to control the law and order situation, price hike, oil prices and rising unemployment in the country. They said the government’s failures had compelled the people to offer their children for sale.
Taking part in the debate, PML-Q legislator Naeem Hussain Chattha said that in spite of the fact that “we have a powerful president”, the country was confronted with brewing lawlessness that had been continuously rising in the form of incidents of target killings in Karachi. He deplored that the situation of electricity, natural gas, agriculture and the industrial sector was getting worse with each passing day while the spiralling prices of essential items had hit the purchasing power of the people.
He said that due to the deteriorating security situation and the government’s inability to provide a sense of security, citizens living in every part of the country were demanding licences for weapons for their protection. He, however, derided the president, saying that he had addressed the parliamentarians for half an hour and had no plan for development and revival of the economy.
Over the filing of a reference by the government for reopening of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case, he asked that why didn’t the government resolve the Benazir Bhutto assassination case which, he said, was a recent matter. He held that the presidential address lacked a concrete policy to address the people’s problems, adding that the government should take pragmatic measures in this respect.
Speaking on his turn, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Prof Ibrahim regretted that though the government had spent a huge amount for investigation into the murder of Benazir Bhutto, but there was no result. He said the government had remained unsuccessful in maintaining peace in Karachi despite the fact that all the political parties had representation in the coalition government in Sindh. He informed the House that in the so-called ongoing war on terror, the losses the government incurred were estimated to be far more than the aid obtained from the US. He opined that the government should depend on its own resources. The senator further said that as the president had condemned the incident of desecration of the holy Quran by a US pastor in his speech, parliament should pass a resolution to condemn the despicable act of the priest.
He also drew the attention of the House towards the difficulties being faced by the flood victims, and urged the government to take effective steps to address their grievances. He also expressed the need for making the country’s taxation system more effective. He also spoke against CIA operative Raymond Davis and US-led drone strikes which, he said, had killed a number of innocent civilians.
Taking part in the debate, Abdul Rahim Khan Mandokhel of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami Milli Party said the country was facing several challenges and it was necessary that all political forces sit together and devise a plan to tackle the twin evils of terrorism and militancy. He recalled that the president had, in his speech, drawn attention of the parliamentarians towards the restoration of the constitution. He also said the president deserved appreciation because he had never interrupted the work of the Constitutional Reforms Committee.
Sajid Hussain Zaidi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional noted that the president had rightly said that the passage of 18th and 19th amendments was historic. He laid stress on the need for national unity to face the challenges. After few speeches by senators on the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament, Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek prorogued the session.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk