|
|
|
| October 18, 2005 | Tuesday | Ramzan 13, 1426 |
Centre urged to share aid with NWFP
PESHAWAR, Oct 17: The NWFP assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Monday, calling upon the federal government should allocate a fair share of the donations, given by the national and international aid agencies, institutions and countries, to the provincial government for the restoration of infrastructure and early rehabilitation of thousands of affected people staying in the the open in Hazara region.
The provincial assembly session, which was convened on Oct 10 and was delayed for one week owing to the earthquake, resumed its proceedings on Monday. The session, presided over by Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan, expressed concern over the slow pace of rescue operations.
The joint resolution signed by Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party, Maulana Amanat Shah of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Anwar Kamal Marwat of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) was tabled by Abdul Akbar Khan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians.
They demanded that the federal government should provide financial assistance to the NWFP government for re- construction of schools, colleges, hospitals and other official buildings destroyed by the quake across the province.
They thanked individuals, institutions and foreign countries for their timely financial aid and relief assistance to quake victims. They hoped that the international community would continue its generous material support for the early rehabilitation of the displaced individuals and affected families.
Earlier, the lawmakers expressed their dissatisfaction over the ill-planned relief and rescue activities being carried out in the disaster zone. They said that the affected families, who were fighting with the after effects of the calamity, were in a dire need of shelter to protect their hungry, feeble and injured members from the rising winter cold, stink of decomposed bodies and other climatic changes.
“Those who are alive they must be protected from hunger, cold and diseases. Those who are injured should be provided with medical care. Those who are staying under the open sky must be provided with tents and blankets”, they added.
Giving her eye-witness account, MPA Rifat Akbar Swati, said she had dispatched a consignment of eight truckloads to Balakot and Muzzafarabad , where mismanagement and chaos were order of the day, but she saw streets and paths littered with the decomposed stinking bodies. She said, fortunately, she accompanied with some armed colleagues when she arrived in Balakot.‘The robbers are roaming everywhere. Afghan refugees and Kohistanis are involved in looting of relief goods , she said.
Opposition Leader Shahzada Gistasip Khan proposed that a joint House committee comprising lawmakers of both sides be formed which should supervise relief work in the affected areas. He denied that people were being provided with relief goods. There was no government, only chaos was prevailing everywhere.
He opposed the visits by VIPs to the affected areas and said their visits cause more lawlessness and fear in the areas. The law enforcement agencies divert their all resources to protect the VIPs instead of protecting the affected people, he added.
Abdul Akbar Khan of the PPP said that neither prime minister not NWFP chief minister could do anything on their own, because everything was emanating from the person of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who was all powerful as he had concentrated all powers in his person.
He said Gen Musharraf and his colleagues were supervising all sort of activities including, relief, rescue, reconstruction and rehabilitation. The national and provincial assemblies, which were in sessions, had been bypassed for reasons.
Prime minister and NWFP chief minister were arranging photo- sessions and making only political statements. He said the federal government should establish a separate department, headed by prime minister, which should deal with the calamities and crisis management.
Anwar Kamal Khan said: “We are a living nation, which has made unprecedented response to the people hit by the earthquake. We, from Karachi to Khyber, are sharing everything with our calamity hit brothers and sisters”.
He also pointed out mismanagement at the relief camps, where army was running the show. He said relief workers carrying truckloads of goods were forced to hand over relief goods to army-run camps.
Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Maulana Nizamuddin, Dr Simeen Mehmood Jan, Nabila Manzar, Nasreen Khattak Sikandar Sherpao and others also underlined the need of providing shelter and drinking water to the quake-hit families. They proposed establishment of a separate department, which should exclusively deal with rescue and relief work.
Later the chair adjourned the session till Tuesday morning.
|
|
|
|
