ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: Political parties and human rights bodies on Wednesday asked the government not to waste billions of rupees on defence purchases and divert the money to the relief and rehabilitation process.

Speaking at a press conference here, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) secretary-general, Iqbal Haider, said spending money on arms purchases in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake would undermine the nation’s ability to generate funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

“Why the donors would give us aid if we can waste more than $10 billion on purchasing F16 aircraft and frigates,” he asked. “There is no justification for purchasing these toys. They will serve no purpose if they protect our graveyards,” he said.

Asked about the HRCP’s plans with regard to the earthquake, Mr Haider said the commission was establishing base offices in Muzaffarabad and Mansehra to report on quake-affected areas deprived of relief and to focus on possible violation of the human rights of woman and child victims.

“We will continue monitoring the government policies and distribution of compensation to the victims. So far, the government actions have not been transparent,” he said.

“That an army general has been made chairman of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority” smacks of corruption,” he added.

“The builders mafia is already active. These vultures have to be kept away from building structures like the collapsed Margalla Towers,” said Mr haider, a former law minister.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Wednesday demanded that the purchase of six Saab planes at $1 billion from Sweden be deferred and the money diverted towards rehabilitation of the quake victims.

In a statement on Wednesday, the party spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar asked for the disclosure of the names of the consultancies and their beneficiaries in the deal.

He called upon the military to suspend the construction of the new General Headquarters (GHQ) in Islamabad for at least two years, as the old one in Rawalpindi was adequately serving the need, and use the money for the quake victims.

“The PPP calls upon the Musharraf regime to sell the luxurious cars costing crores of rupees used by the military and spend the money on rehabilitation and reconstruction,” he said.

He said the regime kept boasting about the huge foreign exchange reserves and wondered why they were not being used for rehabilitation and reconstruction work.

Gen Musharraf declared at a press conference on Monday that military spending would not be cut for rebuilding the devastated areas. He claimed launching all out relief operations but sternly ruled out cutting military spending for it.

He said part of the huge defence outlay that had been rising every year without check must be diverted to human security and defence of the helpless people against starvation, disease, homelessness and vagaries of weather, he said.

He said a Swedish newspaper had disclosed that while people were dying in Kashmir, Northern Areas and Frontier, Musharraf was busy supervising the reported purchase of six Saab 2000 radar fitted surveillance aircraft at a cost of over $1 billion during national emergency.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary Information Taj Haider commenting on the appointment of a tribunal on the question of computing hydel-profits for the NWFP, said that it was yet another ploy of the federal government to bypass and further postpone the payment of due hydel-profits to the NWFP.

“Hydel profits to the provinces where hydro-electric generation projects were located have been sanctioned under Article 161 (2)] of the Constitution as direct transfers.

“A detailed explanation following this article, which gives guidelines to calculate these profits, is also an integral part of the Constitution. It should also be remembered that this was one of those constitutional provisions that had made the unanimous signing of the 1973 Constitution possible.”