ISLAMABAD: The opposition members on Thursday boycotted the Senate proceedings over the government’s alleged indifferent attitude in handling the matter relating to victims of the Mina tragedy and its failure to bring bodies of the deceased to Pakistan.

Members belonging to all opposition parties, except the BNP-M, walked out of the house after Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan expressed dissatisfaction over Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid’s statement on the Mina tragedy.

“We are staging a walkout over the government’s callousness and its failure to bring bodies from Mina to Pakistan,” Mr Ahsan said before walking out.

Also read: Govt announces aid package as Mina death toll rises to 1,100

The information minister, who along with Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, had gone to the lobby to persuade the opposition members to return to the house, said that Mr Ahsan told him that they had decided to boycott the rest of the proceedings.

Aitzaz claims about 300 Pakistanis still missing

The opposition’s boycott forced the chairman to defer discussion on three adjournment motions.

Earlier, Mr Ahsan claimed that about 300 Pakistanis had either died in the Mina incident or were missing.

He said he was surprised that why modern technology was not being used for identification of the deceased. Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) could have resolved the problem within minutes if thumbprints of the dead had been posted on website, he said.

“This government is not only incompetent and corrupt, but also callous.” The opposition, he said, would not let the government cover up the Mina incident and “soon we will be holding the rulers by their collars”.

The PPP leader also expressed reservations over directives issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to TV channels asking them not to malign the Saudi government in their talk shows.

Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who was among the pilgrims, said that except for the Mina tragedy the Saudi government had made excellent Haj arrangements.

He said some people had told him in Saudi Arabia that about 2,300 people had died in the incident.

Responding to the points of order, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid asked the opposition not to politicise the Mina tragedy. He said the pictures and other information about the martyred had been placed on a website and the process to trace the missing pilgrims was still under way.

He said the prime minister had already announced that relatives of the Mina martyrs would be sent to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra and to visit the graves of their loved ones.

Mr Rashid told the house that the prime minister had directed the religious affairs minister to remain in Saudi Arabia till the completion of the process of the recovery of missing Pakistanis, without knowing that the minister was about to hold a news conference in Islamabad in the afternoon after his return from Saudi Arabia.

He said the people still remembered that returning pilgrims used to curse the rulers during the PPP government because of poor arrangements and they were now praising the present regime for providing excellent facilities.

The information minister said Pemra had not issued any formal directives nor it had taken action against any TV channel.

He said TV channels had only been requested to remain cautious during the discussion on the Mina tragedy keeping in view friendly relations with Saudi Arabia.

He said the leader of opposition knew that the pilgrims had signed an undertaking before proceeding for Haj that they should be buried in Saudi Arabia in case of their death during their stay in the Kingdom.

But, he said the government was ready to facilitate those who wanted to bring the bodies of their dear ones to the country as the remains of the nephew of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had been brought to Pakistan.

Responding to the allegation levelled by Mr Ahsan that Nawaz Sharif had paid only Rs477 income tax in three years in the 1990s, the minister said that Mr Sharif had paid Rs4 million tax this year.

Chairman Raza Rabbani intervened and asked the minister to confine himself to the topic.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2015

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