Senators belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday grilled government officials over the massive electricity breakdown which pushed the entire country into darkness late Sunday night.
Speaking on a point of order in the Senate, MQM leader Tahir Hussain Mashhadi said the entire country plunged into darkness due to the incompetence of the government officials, as all three major power producing houses had tripped. “Even today, there are some areas of the country where power has not been restored,” he said. He alleged that the people of Sind were intentionally being kept in darkness. He said the people of Sind were being denied educational facilities as Sind Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq had publicly announced that he would not allow the establishment of a university in Hyderabad. He said that Haq’s statement was tantamount to dividing the people of Sind. He also staged a walkout from the session to register his protest over the issue.
ANP’s Zahid Khan said that the country remained in darkness for around six hours, but the reasons of power failure were not known so far. “A junior official has been appointed as the secretary for water and power, while his senior is working under him as additional secretary. When affairs of the ministry will be made to run in this way, then such things (power failures) will keep taking place,” he added.
BILLS:
A unique harmony was witnessed between the treasury and opposition benches, as the opposition did not oppose any of the three bills tabled by the government for the establishment of three universities in the capital city.
Though the MQM members, who had been allocated the opposition benches on Monday by Senate Chairman Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, tried to pose themselves as an opposition party, no major controversy could attract media’s attention. The bills seeking to set up three universities in the federal capital included the establishment of Dar-ul-Madina International University, South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) University Islamabad, and My University, Islamabad.
Senator Saeed Ghani presented all the three bills as the law minister was not present. The opposition did not oppose the bills, as they had been deliberated upon by the respective standing committees of the Senate.
Earlier, Senator Saeed Ghani moved the bill for the establishment of Dar-ul-Madina International University [The Dar-ul-Madina International University Islamabad Bill, 2013], as reported by the standing committee, to be taken into consideration and passed. The opposition did not oppose the bill and hence the bill was passed.
Ghani also moved the bill for the establishment of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) University Islamabad [The South Asian Strategic Stability Institute University Islamabad Bill, 2013], as reported by the standing committee. The bill was also passed unanimously.
Senator Saeed Ghani also moved the bill for the establishment of My University Islamabad [The My University Islamabad Bill, 2013], as reported by the standing committee. The bill was also passed unanimously.
TRANSPORT SYSTEM:
The Senate chairman also announced to form a special parliamentary committee tasked to examine and give proposals for a state-of-the-art transport system in the federal capital, including underground and sky-trains. The chairman made these remarks after the members of the Upper House raised voice over the non-existence of a transport system in the federal capital due to which commuters were facing immense problems.
“The committee would be formed in consultation with the leaders of the house and the opposition, and its terms of reference (ToRs) would also be framed,” he said, adding that the committee would be tasked to submit its proposals in a limited timeframe. He regretted that there were six parliamentarians from the federal capital, including four senators and two MNAs, who could contribute towards the matter.
Earlier, Mashhadi moved that the House may discuss the existing public transport system in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Speaking on the subject, Mashhadi said that there was no public transport system in the federal capital. He regretted that neither the politicians nor the bureaucrats were inclined to install a transport system in the capital city. He said that the federal capitals across the world have their own transport systems.
Taking part in the debate, Senator Babar Awan said that the Islamabad Master Plan was being violated while the masses were waiting for a traffic engineering system in the capital. He said that the country’s bureaucracy and the political elite were indifferent towards the problems being faced by the people on roads. He said that a transport system in the capital was an immediate requirement.
Senator Mushahid Hussain said that neither the federal capital nor other major cities of the country had any viable transport system. He said that the presidents of Iran and South Korea and the prime minister of Turkey – all had installed successful transport systems in their respective federal capitals. He said that due to their services by setting up modern transport systems in their capital cities, they became popular and were elected at top positions of their countries.
