News
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Imran’s statement on KBD draws opp ire in Senate* Imran says he will soon start a campaign for the construction of KBD
* PPP says PTI chief’s statement insult to three provincial assemblies
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of parliament on Tuesday saw uproar from the opposition parties over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s statement that he will soon start a campaign for the construction of the Kalabagh Dam (KBD).
Senators belonging to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP) raised hue and cry over the issue, saying they will resist such a move. On a point of order, PPP’s Senator Aajiz Dhamra said that PTI chief Imran Khan had said in India that he will soon start a nationwide campaign for the construction of Kalabagh Dam. He said Imran’s statement was an insult to three provincial assemblies of Pakistan, and the campaign would be opposed under all circumstances. “Construction of the Kalabagh Dam means drying the Sindh province and such a move will be opposed at all costs,” Dhamra declared.
Other PPP members also protested against Imran Khan’s statement regarding a campaign for construction of the Kalabagh Dam. Senator Rabbani stated that members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had earlier protested against the dam’s proposed construction. He insisted that the resolution passed on the matter should be dealt with first before the dam’s construction is seriously pursued. ANP’s Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash said KBD has become a dead horse and the government should concentrate its efforts on other important issues confronting the country.
“Neither the previous regimes of Nawaz Sharif nor military dictators were able to construct the controversial Kalabagh Dam, how could then Imran Khan construct this dam?” he asked. Bangash claimed that there is a potential to generate 34,000MW of electricity between Chitral and Swat and the government should invest there if it is sincere in overcoming the power shortfall.
Senator Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal of the PML-N also opposed Imran’s proposed campaign, reiterating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s stance of securing mutual agreements before taking important decisions. He also claimed that India was providing assistance to those people who are talking about the construction of Kalabagh Dam in Pakistan. Meanwhile, leaders of the PPP and the ANP accused the federal government of violating clauses of the constitution by not providing gas to industrial units in Sindh and gas-producing areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Federal Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the PML-N told the Senate that the federal government could not provide gas in new areas due to the acute shortage of the natural resource. He said the federal government had totally stopped funding for purchase and laying of gas pipelines across the country. Now the provinces or parliamentarians have to provide funding for gas pipeline purchases. He announced the decision of charging urgent fees of Rs 25,000 for new gas connections, and added that after approval from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), 10 percent of all new gas connections would be installed on the basis of urgent fees.
During the session, ANP’s Senator Haji Adeel said providing gas and water was the basic duty of the government. He said it was the constitutional right of the people, and noted that electricity, water and gas from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being provided by the government to the whole country, yet not to the province itself. Senator Raza Rabbani accused the federal government of continually violating Article 158 of the constitution by not providing gas to industrial units in Karachi. Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) suggested the formation of a special Senate committee to monitor terrorism and the violation of human rights in Karachi.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk