ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: Opposition legislators in the National Assembly on Tuesday criticized the government for allowing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) forces to take part in relief and rehabilitation activities in quake-hit areas of Pakistan and termed it a ‘very serious security issue’.

“We have opened the door for foreign forces without taking the parliament or even the cabinet into confidence,” said acting parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while taking part in the debate on the Oct 8 disaster.

“What will we do if tomorrow we have to fight a war with India or any other country? Will we call Nato forces again to help us in wars?” he asked.

Criticizing the Pakistan army for a ‘delayed response’ to the disaster, he said: “You (army) take only two hours to capture the whole country. It takes you minutes to launch a military operation. Then why the help reached 72 hours late to the people of affected areas?” he questioned.

Mr Khan also criticized the decision to appoint a military man as the head of the newly-established rehabilitation authority. “We have a relief commissioner from the military and now another general has been made rehabilitation commissioner. Who will hold their accountability when the NAB (National Accountability Bureau) chief is also from the military?” he asked.

The PML-N leader regretted that the official media had been projecting Gen Pervez Musharraf and other government functionaries as heroes after the disaster. He also criticized President Musharraf’s remarks that Pakistan was not receiving sufficient aid from the international community and said that such statements were damaging the ‘self-respect’ of the nation which, he said, needed a true leadership.

Referring to a speech made by Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi recently that army had not been cut out for disaster relief activities, he said: “If army is not cut out for the job, then how Nato forces are cut out for the same.”

Responding to the points raised by Mr Khan, ruling party MNA from Lahore Farooq Amjad Mir said that opposition members should inform the nation about the civilian institutions they had set up to carry out relief operations when they were in power. He said people were demanding that relief goods should be distributed through army and added that there was no harm in seeking foreign help to save the lives of victims.

Speaking on a point of order, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan claimed that some 50,000 tents were lying in Beijing as no arrangements had been made for their dispatch to Pakistan. He asked the government to arrange for a charter aircraft to fetch those tents.

Defending the decision to call Nato forces, Science and Technology Minister Chaudhry Nauraiz Shakoor said they were coming only to assist in relief operations.

A ruling party MNA, Mehnaz Rafi, said there were reports that donated tents were being sold in markets. She called for awarding severe punishment to those involved in this crime.

Dr Farid Piracha of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal said that a large number of helicopters were taking part in relief efforts and added that some of them should be handed over to the NWFP and AJK governments. He also demanded helicopters for those non-governmental organizations which were taking part in the relief work.

People’s Party Parliamentarians MNA from Kasur Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed regretted that every unit of the army had tents, but these were not provided to quake victims. He expressed concern over the response by Saudi Arabia and China to the disaster.

He said Saudi Arabia had millions of tents to be used during Haj and added that it should have provided these tents to Pakistan as Haj was very far away. Similarly, he said, China did not extend any help despite the fact that it was situated near to the quake-hit areas. He said the help from China could have reached these places within hours of the disaster.