October 2, 2003	Thursday	Sha’aban 5, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Oct 1: The NWFP Assembly was told on Wednesday that the National Accountability Bureau, which had turned the MPA hostel into a lock-up soon after the military takeover, had neither paid the utility bills nor any rent to the provincial government during its one-year occupation of the building.

Responding to a question, during question-answer hour, asked by Pir Mohammad Khan of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal about the use of the MPA hostel by the NAB, the house was informed, in writing, that the NAB had paid telephone bills only. The ambiguous answer by the works and services department turned most of the lawmakers furious and they advised the government to make a clear statement about it in the House.

Another MMA MPA, Kashif Azam Chishti, was of the view that the military rulers had set up the NAB lock-up at the MPA hostel in order to ridicule the elected representatives of the people. He flayed his own government for providing incomplete and ambiguous answers to the lawmakers.

MMA’s Fareed Khan from Dir critizised bullying attitude of the NAB, which according to him instead of paying the bills and rent had taken away extra five million rupees from the government.

The works and services department also informed the House that it had spent Rs350,000 on the construction of a torture cell in the MPA hostel and, then spent Rs2 million on the restoration of the building and removal of the cell.

Nargis Zain of the MMA from Swat belied the statement and said that the works and services department had not spent any amount on the restoration and renovation of the hostel. The hostel was in a of shambles even after its so-called renovation, she added.

Naeema Akhtar of the MMA claimed that the department concerned had purchased the substandard furniture for the hostel, which had turned into a junk within six months.

Abdul Akbar Khan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians asked the chair to advise the government to order an inquiry into the amount (Rs2 million), which had been spent on the renovation of the MPA hostel.

Responding to the objections raised by the lawmakers, senior minister Sirajul Haq said that the federal government had yet not paid Rs203 billion to the provincial government. He declined to give a direct answer about the NAB, but, said that he had taken up the issue with the federal finance minister for the payment of the outstanding amount.

After the interval, the House adopted a condolence resolution unanimously and paid rich tributes to (late) Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan for his relentless struggle against the successive military and civil dictators and for the restoration of real democracy in the country. Bashir Ahmed Khan Bilour of the Awami National Party presented the joint resolution in the House.

Through another joint resolution, the House asked the NWFP government to put a ban on the construction of shopping centres and commercial plazas inside and around the University of Peshawar and other educational institutions. The House unanimously adopted the joint resolution tabled by Abbas Khalil of the ANP.

The House also referred a privilege motion against the fresh appointments made by the local government department in the water and sanitation sectors, to the privilege committee to take notice of the appointments made without any merit.

Muzaffar Said of the MMA (Jamaat-i-Islami) tabled the motion against minister for local government Sardar Idrees (JUl-F) that revealed a tussle between the two main components of the six-party ruling alliance.

The minister told the House that a five-member committee had conducted the interviews and made appointments and he had nothing to do with it.

Despite an opposition by the minister, the speaker, however, referred the motion to the privilege committee.

The chair also referred a detailed question by MPA Amant Shah, under Rule 48, to the concerned committee for reconsideration of it. He had asked for the provision of detail about the expenditures on the vehicles of 33 ministers of a previous PPP government.

The House also initiated a debate on the backdoor transferring and posting in different departments and urged the government not to violate the ban imposed on transferring and posting in health and education departments.

Minister for Education Fazale Ali told the House that most of the MPAs forced him to violate the ban, if they offered him their cooperation he would abide by the rules and regulations.