KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution unanimously asking the provincial government to convey the legislature’s concern to Islamabad over the “unacceptable” increase in Haj expenses under the government scheme, demanding that the expenditures be reversed to the previous threshold.

“This 63 per cent increase in the government-sponsored Haj has deprived a large number of people, who could have afforded the previous expenses, from performing this religious duty,” said Pakistan Peoples Party’s Nida Khuhro who, with party colleague Sadia Javed and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s Sarwat Fatima, moved the resolution.

She criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s federal government for withdrawing subsidy that the government had been bearing for long to help people perform Haj with little burden on their pockets.

“They [PTI government] came to power with the promise to turn Pakistan into the State of Madina, but on the contrary their actions are such that people [are unable] to visit the holy places,” she said.

PTI lawmaker tries to justify the hike

She said an increase of 63pc in the Haj expenses was totally unacceptable and the federal government should revisit and revise its Haj policy.

Sarwat Fatima criticised the new Haj policy saying it had exposed the government’s “real” objectives, which were against the common people.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Abdul Rasheed said the increase in Haj expenses had heightened concerns of the people about the PTI government.

“It is hard for the people to believe that such a policy has been devised by a government that had been claiming that they would turn the country into [another] State of Madina.”

He said the new policy was aimed at benefiting the private Haj operators who would increase their rates by an even greater percentage.

Kunwar Naveed of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, which is a partner in the PTI-led federal government, said it was not possible for the common man to spend an additional around Rs200,000 on performing Haj.

He criticised the previous governments’ policies on Pakistan International Airline’s operation, but said the people should not be punished for the wrongdoings committed in the past.

Grand Democratic Alliance’s Razzaq Rahimoon supported the resolution saying the decision to increase Haj expenses be reversed.

PPP’s Imdad Pitafi said by making everything difficult for the people of Pakistan, the PTI government wanted to create chaos across the country.

PPP’s Murad Ali Shah from Naushahro Feroze said that apart from affordable Haj travels sponsored by the government, it should also be made mandatory for the rich to sponsor a certain number of poor people around them for visiting the holy places.

TLP’s Mohammad Qasim criticised the PTI government, saying that such actions on the part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government had snatched from many people the ability to perform Haj.

He said no increase in the Haj expenses would be tolerated.

PTI MPA justifies the hike

PTI’s Khurram Sher Zaman claimed that Haj was subsidised only once last year during the PML-N government for certain reasons, else, it had never been linked with subsidy. Besides, he added, the increase in the Haj expenses was caused by the increase in the charges by the Saudi administration.

The MPA said Haj had always been mandatory for the ones who could afford it. Besides, he said, the rupee’s depreciation had also caused the increase in fares.

He said it should also be examined that whether a subsidised Haj could be performed “when we see our governments also take loans from the IMF and other international agencies [on interest]”.

Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani criticised the federal government for taking every step that had thrown the common man into the mire with little hope to survive.

He said the PTI’s government should realise that it had hurt everyone in the country because “it is not just those belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party who are going to perform Haj”.

“Should our people wait for some Saudi prince to come here and announce a decrease in the Haj expenses?”

Prisons Minister Nasir Shah also spoke on the same wavelength by suggesting that Islamabad should not test the nerves of the people of Pakistan for so long and to so great a degree.

PPP’s Munawwar Wassan wondered that a government that had assumed power through the “power of amulets” had no idea about the importance of Haj.

Speaker Siraj Durrani put the resolution before the house, which, despite some PTI members’ divergent viewpoints, was carried unanimously.

Two bills passed

Earlier, the house unanimously passed two bills, which had been tabled in the assembly after being examined by the select committees.

The Sindh Local Government (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 was the first bill, which was presented by LG Minister Saeed Ghani. It involved a minor change in the LG law as earlier any local councillor or head of a municipality would have to tender one’s resignation before the council.

The minister said it was difficult as the whole council met seldom, thus, acceptance of a resignation was difficult. With the amendment, now, such resignations could be handed to the chief executive of the council.

The assembly also passed The Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The bill made a provision for a minister, adviser or special assistant to the chief minister or any other person nominated by the CM of the Board of Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority and to convene meetings of the board once in a quarter by the chairperson.

The Sindh Prisons and Correctional Facilities Bill, 2019 was also introduced in the house. The chair formed a select committee to examine the bill and present it later in the house for consideration.

RO plants

Responding to a calling-attention notice by PTI’s Shahnawaz Jadoon, LG Minister Ghani said there were 18 reverse osmosis (RO) plants in the city, four of which were in the constituency of Karachi West. He said a number of them were closed because of bad quality of subsoil water, among other factors.

He said the “problem” in the finance department was due to fear among the officers of the National Accountability Bureau etc. However, the water commission got the issue resolved lately and most such transactions had been made. He said that two RO plants at Baba Island and KPT Ground would soon be functioning.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2019