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Opposition stages token walkout in Senate

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Wednesday staged a token walkout in the Senate, alleging that the Textile Ministry rolled back the demand it placed on textile mills in Faisalabad to provide high-quality tents to quake victims.

The opposition feared that substandard tents would be given to the victims to brave the harsh winds and winter. Dr Abdullah Riar, of the Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPP-P), accused the Textile Ministry of influencing the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to change the specifications for the cloth for the winterised tents to convenience local warehouses.

“International standards for winterised tents is canvas fabric with liquid paraffin coating of higher density and a ground sheet of at least 180 gram weight. The PM House changed the specifications with drilled cloth with no liquid paraffin density and reduced the ground density to 60 grams,” he said.

He said the specifications for tents were altered to facilitate Zean Fabric Warehouses’ owners in Pakistan. “The new specifications could not even withstand the first rains of the season, leave alone standing the rest of the winter season,” he said. Khalid Ranjha, who presided over the session, directed the minister to give present his case on the issue within 48 hours.

Razza Rubbani, the leader of the opposition in the Senate, said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had said in a recent statement that the government would form a parliamentary committee to oversee the relief activities even if the opposition was not ready to join.

He said the premier did not mention whether senators would be included in the parliamentary committee, adding that without participation of the senators it would be a committee of political parties. He said he had asked the government to ensure transparency in the handling of funds coming from within and outside the country and an aid account be opened in the State Bank of Pakistan. “A news report was published in an English language newspaper claiming that the transparency in the use of funds is a major concern for the donors,” he said.

He said the government should audit the accounts of the rehabilitation authorities. He said no government official sat in the official galleries to note down proposals made by the opposition on the quake. Senator Khurshid Ahmed said Jahangir Karmat, the Pakistani ambassador to the US, claimed that opening of five points on the Line of Control had been decided before the earthquake.

Dr Sher Afgan said the accounts or the funds used by the rehabilitation authorities would be audited because these authorities come in the ambit of the federal government. He said the government would response to all the concerns of the opposition when the debate on the earthquake would be concluded.

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