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| November 24, 2005 | Thursday | Shawwal 21, 1426 |
Opposition for civilian control of relief work
ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: The opposition has rejected proposed terms of reference (ToR) presented by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for the parliamentary committee on earthquake relief and rehabilitation and termed them ‘confused and ambiguous.’
Speaking at a press conference after attending the first meeting of the committee here on Wednesday, opposition leaders belonging to the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal said that they had not attended the meeting as members of the committee which, according to them, did not exist at all.
Leader of opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman said it seemed that the government was in a hurry to form the committee and the meeting was also hastily convened. He said the terms of the committee were ‘unacceptable” to them and they had ‘serious reservations’ over them.
The Maulana said the opposition had asked the government to hand over the relief and rehabilitation job to civilian people and civil institutions. He said the opposition would prepare ToR for the committee in a day or two and submit them to the government.
Acting parliamentary leader of the PML-N Chaudhry Nisar Ali said there was a need to give powers to the committee and the ToR presented by the government were short of meeting that requirement.
Leader of opposition in the Senate and a leader of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, Raza Rabbani, said they had told the government that the opposition leaders were not participating in the meeting as members of the committee and it was not a formal meeting of the committee.
MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the ToR presented by the prime minister did not state whether the steps so far taken by the government single-handedly would become null and void.
ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said whatever decision would be taken regarding participation in the committee meetings, it would be from the platform of the joint opposition.
The opposition leaders also expressed surprise over the participation JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq in the meeting. They said Mr Haq had told the participants that he had been invited by the prime minister as an observer.
MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said the meeting was initially to be attended by nine members of the government and nine members of the opposition.
“However, with the participation of Mr Haq, the so-called committee has lost the balance as it now has more government representation than that of the opposition.”
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