PESHAWAR, Oct 24: The provincial assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution, demanding of the NWFP government to write off all the outstanding loans and taxes payable by the affected people in the quake-hit five districts of the province.

The Opposition Leader Chased Gistasip Khan tabled the resolution, demanding of the federal government to write off loans handed out by the House Building Finance Corporation and Zarai Traqqiati Bank to the people of the quake-hit districts. The house also demanded of the NWFP government to write off its own outstanding loans and exempt the victims of the disaster zone from all kind of taxes for the next three years.

The house also advised the government to provide interest-free loans to the badly affected people of Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagaram, Kohistan, and Shangla so that they could reconstruct and restore destroyed and collapsed houses, shops and roads in the quake-hit villages and towns.

Earlier, Abdul Akbar Khan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians complained that only one institution was running the show by controlling the incoming huge funds being remitted by the donors and friendly countries, relief networking and rehabilitation-cum-reconstruction programme chalked out by the same powerful institution.

He said the elected assemblies, elected governments and the civil society had become redundant after the possession of everything by the one and the only institution.

Mr Khan said that 16 days had elapsed after the quake rattled hundred of villages and towns in five districts, but none of the governments were clear about the exact death toll. Everybody had its own figures of dead and injured, he added.

He said it showed the apathy of the affairs when an elected prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, and head of the ruling PML Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had begged to convene an All Parties Conference on quake’s aftermaths. But, it had yet to be entertained their request, he added.

The world community, he said, had doled out only 500 million dollars so far out of its five billion dollars promised aid. He said the NWFP government had received only Rs 500 million for the relief plan and rehabilitation of thousands of affected families, while the NWFP needed Rs three billion for setting up an alternative school system in tents.

He demanded of the central government to hand over one billion dollars out of its 13 billion dollars federal reserves. Mr Khan said if the government had these huge reserves, why it was not spending on affected people of NWFP. He proposed to convene a joint sitting of the parliament and constitute a parliamentary relief committee, which should supervise the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected people and their collapsed towns.

Zubaida Khatoon of the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal also criticized the domineering roe of the army troops engaged in the relief work in Mansehra, Battagram, Battal, Kohistan and Balakot and proposed that elected councillors, nazims and MPAs should be included into the relief committees run by the army. She said neither president nor prime minister or NWFP chief minister had visited remote and isolated villages by foot, instead they had an aerial view of the displaced people.

She regretted that affected people were asked for ID cards at the relief camps. Their all belongings, including ID cards were buried in the debris of houses, how they could comply with the illogical demand of authorities, she said.

MPA Hafeezullah Khan Alizai said they were ready to welcome the affected people in Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Tank districts if the government set up tent villages there.

Deputy Speaker Ikram-ullah Shahid, who was presiding over the session, adjourned the session till Tuesday morning.