ISLAMABAD: The discussion during a meeting of a parliamentary committee veered off the agenda when one of the participants was served two cockroaches with his refreshments.

Members of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) were on Monday discussing health-related issues when Additional Secretary NHS Hashim Popalzai said there was a cockroach on his plate and a while later, found another roach under his samosa.

A discussion then ensued regarding the quality of food being served and how unhygienic the catering company was. The committee chairman said insects being found in food will not be tolerated and that he will take up the matter with Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani.

Talking to Dawn later, Mr Popalzai said there were in fact three cockroaches.

“I picked up my sandwich and saw there was a cockroach under it and there was another under the samosa. A third cockroach was on the table, near my plate though I don’t know if that roach was already on the table or was on my plate before,” he said.

He said the committee chairman, Senator Sajjad Hussain Turi, wrote him a note, asking if the cockroaches were alive or cooked, to which he had replied that they were alive.

“I was not feeling so well after the incident and could not have tea. I just had some water but checked that the bottle was properly sealed. I have decided I will not eat during meetings of parliamentary committees,” he said.

Talking to mediapersons later, a representative of the catering company shifted blame on the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

He said the cockroaches were not in the food and were on the plates. He added that due to lack of cleanliness, there were many insects in the parliament and that the CDA is taking the issue lightly and does not even fumigate the premises.

He provided a letter written to the CDA by the Senate Secretariat on Oct 14, 2016, available with Dawn, in which the CDA had been requested to fumigate Parliament House.

The letter said that various insects including cockroaches were found in committee rooms and in the cafeterias, which is embarrassing and is also a health hazard.

In the letter, the CDA was requested to make immediate arrangements for spraying medicines for the eradication of cockroaches to avoid an untoward incident.

However, CDA spokesperson Mazhar Hussein told Dawn that the civic body has made all arrangements for ensuring cleanliness in Parliament House and also fumigates from time to time.

This is not the first time that parliamentarians have found themselves being served unhygienic food and there have also been complaints of rat infestations in parliament, with the rodents eating through wires, affecting the WiFi and other networking connections.

Published in Dawn February 7th, 2017