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PESHAWAR, Nov 11: The NWFP government has asked the federal government to cancel orders for new armaments and divert more funds for rehabilitation of people affected by last month’s earthquake.
In response to questions raised by lawmakers, Senior Minister Sirajul Haq said: “Pakistan does not need new armaments after the destruction of infrastructure and the collapse of socio-economic life in the affected areas. Instead, it will be wise to divert the arms procurement funds for the early rehabilitation of people who are dreading the onset of winter.”
The minister said the federal government had worked hard to normalise ties with India and had softened its stand on certain thorny issues. Similarly, he said, it had been enjoying cordial relations with Kabul and in such an encouraging situation, it (the federal government) should not procure new weapons during this year.
“Our stance will send a positive message abroad… This is a time to restore the world’s confidence,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for giving representation to local elected leaders on the relief committees, so that the relief operation could be carried out effectively. He claimed that local leaders (councillors, deputy nazims, nazims, MPAs and relief commissioner) knew more about the public requirements than government officers.
The minister said he had invited the Opposition Leader Shahzada Gistasip Khan and MPAs from the five affected districts to sit together and offer proposals for both a short-term and long-term relief and rehabilitation programme.
The minister asked the federal government to provide half the total foreign assistance to the NWFP. He said that women and children were exposed to the harshness of the chilly weather in tents, which were ill-suited for the local environment. He said: “We have heard about more deliveries in tents. The weather is posing a threat to the newly born babies and their mothers and urgent measures are needed on the part of the government and NGOs.”
He said the provincial government had so far released about Rs1,656,125,000 to the members of bereaved families, injured and other affected people, but “our losses are colossal, which demand urgent provision of funds”. He said they had apprised the federal government about the amount required for rehabilitation of people and reconstruction of private and public houses and buildings.
CHEQUES: The NWFP Assembly was informed that the Bank of Khyber was not entertaining compensatory cheques issued by the district coordinating officers (DCOs) of the five quake-hit districts of the province.
Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q told the house that the bank had refused to honour cheques issued to the families of deceased quake victims and all those injured in his Abbottabad district. He accused the government of delaying the release of money to the DCOs. Mr Ghani said that VIPs were compounding the miseries of quake victims by making frequent visits to the affected areas. He suggested that DCOs should be disengaged from VIP movements.
Mr Ghani asked the government to restore power to the affected areas and grant electricity connections to the tent villages which were still enveloped in darkness. He advised the authorities to provide cold-resistant tents to the affectees and asked the NWFP government to sanction Rs100,000 instead of Rs25,000 for the construction of one-room houses, arguing that one could not purchase enough cement with the money that had been allocated.
MEDICINES: Health Minister Inayatullah said the government was ready to release more emergency funds to hospitals so that medicines could be purchased. He expressed surprise that patients were being asked to buy medicines from the market even though the government had released Rs7 million for the drugs.
The house was earlier informed that the quake-related patients were not provided with medicines in Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad. Apparently the patients were asked to purchase medicines from the open market.
The house also unanimously passed two separate resolutions tabled by Shahzada Mohammad Gistasip and Aftab Shabbir, demanding that the government provide Rs100,000 for the construction of one-room houses as Rs25,000 already sanctioned was insufficient for the purpose.
