Saturday, October 2, 2010

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Distribution of relief items

THE NEWS:
EDITORIAL

The opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday accused the provincial government of distributing relief goods among people on political grounds and depriving many deserving people of their rights.
Opposition lawmakers claimed that many flood affectees had yet still to receive relief supplies although the goods sent to them existed on record. They observed that foreign and local donors would not provide funds for flood affectees if their confidence was not restored.
During a debate on irregularities in aid distribution, opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani said foreign donors and our own people had no trust in the government and unless their confidence was restored no funds would come to the province.
Akram Durrani, who is a former chief minister, alleged that 4,000 blankets, 800 plastic shelters and 300 tents sent by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to the district coordination officer (DCO) for distribution among the affected people in Bannu had not reached the affectees.
He suggested formation of committees headed by MPAs to ensure transparency in the relief supplies’ distribution. He also proposed to the government to arrange seeds for distribution among farmers affected by floods.
JUI-F MPA Malik Muhammad Qasim said political interference and nepotism were rampant in the distribution process and genuine affec-tees were deprived of relief goods. He said some of the survivors were selling the relief goods in the market. He pointed out that figures on relief supplies were confusing.
Muhammad Javed Abbasi of the PML-N said foreign donors had no trust in the government as the federal government had shifted Rs40 billion meant for reconstruction of schools and roads damaged in the October 2005 earthquake to other projects.
He said misuse of funds had shut 6,927 schemes, affecting thousands of schoolchildren.The assembly passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Industrial Relations Bill 2010 to make laws relating to formation of trade unions and regulation and improvement of relations between employers and workers.
In the question-hour session, seven questions lapsed due to the absence of the concerned lawmakers. Javed Abbasi and Nighat Yasmin Orakzai objected to appointment of Class-IV employees who were not locals.
Nighat Orakzai, who is PML-Q deputy parliamentary leader, criticised local police for arresting Aman Lashkar volunteers fighting against militants in their respective areas in rural Peshawar without any reason and implicating them in false cases. She appreciated the Lashkar volunteers for their services in combating terrorism.
She stressed it was a serious issue and action be taken against the police for arresting the Lashkar’s men. Law Minister Arshad Abdullah said he would take the police version and then comment on the issue.
Replying to an adjournment motion tabled by JUI-F member Shah Hussain, Minister for Primary Education Sardar Hussain Babak said his department had not issued any notification regarding the withdrawal of 20 additional marks to a hafiz or hafiza at the time of admission in an educational institution.
In his call attention notice, the PML-N’s Javed Abbasi said over 500 people were illegally appointed without any test and interview to various posts in the Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad. The call attention notice was placed pending, as the minister for health was not present. The speaker adjourned the sitting till Monday.

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