PESHAWAR, Jan 12: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MPAs from Mardan on Wednesday staged a walkout against their health minister for "providing shelter" to a deputy medical superintendent of the Mardan Civil Hospital against their wishes.

The opposition MPAs also joined them in their protest against the minister, who wanted to retain the controversial DMS at the hospital against the wishes of his fellow MPAs from Mardan.

Syed Amanat Shah, an MMA lawmaker from the Mardan city constituency, wanted to get him (DMS) transferred at all cost. However, health minister Inayatullah Khan wanted just the opposite.

Explaining the issue, Mr Shah said he had tried to get the DMS transferred, but the minister refused to do so. Later, he put up the issue with the chief minister and got him (DMS) transferred but the DMS refused to comply with the order, he added.

He said the DMS was insistent that he will not relieve charge until he was asked for it by the health minister. He said that it was unfair on the part of the minister to protect a technocrat "merely to let down his fellow MPAs".

At this point, Mr Shah, along with Tajul Amin Jabal and Israrul Haq Haqqani from Mardan city, walked out of the house. The opposition MPAs followed suit. Later, during the question hour, minister for irrigation and power Hafiz Akhtar Ali told the house that the MMA government had decided to construct the Pihur Hydro-Electricity Station on the Pihur Canal.

He said the power plant's construction would cost Rs753 million. At present, he said, the government had allocated Rs25.375 million for the selection of consultants. The generation capacity of the project would be 18 megawatts per hour, he added.

He told the house that the Asian Development Bank and the federal government had provided a loan of Rs455 million for the Flood Protection Project Sector-II. He said a separate sum of Rs50 million had also been earmarked in the annual development programme for the same purpose.

Responding to another question, the minister told the house that according to Wapda's fact-sheet, 96,000 people had to vacate their ancestral homes and lands for the construction of the Tarbela Dam.

He said that both Wapda and the NWFP government had paid the displaced people compensation. He said those involved in litigation would be paid likewise after a court decision.

He said all those affected people who had failed to obtain an alternative piece of land after their eviction from their ancestral lands would be paid out of Rs219.990 million deposited for compensation payment.

The minister said that Wapda had already paid Rs65.33 million as its share. Bashir Ahmed Bliour of the Awami National Party, who had drawn the attention of the house towards the remarks of a Punjab High Court Judge (Multan bench), informed the house that the judge had contacted him and denied having made anti-Pakhtoon remarks attributed to him in a local newspaper.

Senior Minister Sirajul Haq said the judge also talked to him by telephone and disavowed the remarks. "Now it is the duty of the honourable judge to fix responsibility on the troublemaker," he added.

Mr Haq said the judge explained to him that it was unjust to abuse any particular community for the crimes of any of its members. He said the judge would, on his own, sort it out as to who had caused this controversy on ethnic basis.

Speaking on a privilege motion, Dr Zakirullah of the MMA said he had asked a question (No-148), some 18 months ago, but the department concerned gave him no details.

He said the forest department had surrendered its 6,679 acres (reserved lands) in Dera Ismail Khan to the armed forces, but the department had refused to give any details. The forest department, he said, had hurt his privilege as a member of this house.

Senior minister Sirajul Haq said he himself had inquired into the land issue and was told that the armed forces had acquired the land for families of martyrs. After the explanation, the mover did not press his motion.

Later, the speaker allowed minister for industries and mineral development Malik Zafar Azam to lay the NWFP Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2005, before the house for its consideration. The speaker, later, adjourned the house till Thursday.