ISLAMABAD – The inaugural meeting of four-member commission for probing unauthorized diversion of floodwater and alleged breaches in the embankments of barrages and canals by the influential people during the recent devastating flood, will be held at the Supreme Court today (Saturday).
According to details, members of commission Azam Khan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AW Kazi from Sindh, Fateh Khan Fajak from Balochistan and Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed from Punjab will hold the meeting to develop a strategy and modus operandi for completing the assigned task within the stipulated period of two months.
The Cabinet secretary along with the chief secretaries of all provinces will also attend the meeting. As per decision of the Supreme Court, the commission is mandated to examine the issues including- whether embankment breaches made during the period of high floods in the river Indus were subject to any procedure and, if so, what the manner of exercising of such powers was and by whom and under what circumstances.
Whether during the floods, the procedure for embankment breaches was followed judiciously. Whether before ordering embankment breaches at different places, particularly at Aliwan and Tori Bund, no procedure was followed, if so, who was responsible for the same.
The commission will also examine whether before making breaches at different embankments, precautionary measures were adopted, particularly in view of warnings issued from time to time by the metrological department of Pakistan. The commission will take up the issue whether relief was extended to the flood affected people on war footings or not.
The commission will also discuss the pace of rehabilitation in the flood-devastated areas and damages and compensation for the flood victims. Supreme Court Additional Registrar Sajid Mehmood Qazi who has been appointed as Facilitator for the commission will also attend the meeting.
Earlier on December 15, 2010, the court had directed all the provincial chief secretaries to provide logistic support to the commission while Cabinet Division secretary had been directed to cooperate with the chief secretaries to provide the commission logistic and financial support.
The court had also directed the surveyor general of Pakistan to provide assistance to the commission, besides, directing the Irrigation secretary to instruct its staff, posted in the concerned areas to coordinate with the commission during its meetings.
The court had taken notice into the matter on letters written by renowned lawyer Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, Senate’s Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali, Dr Asad Leghari, Muhammad Rahim Baloch and Advocate Zahida Thebo. Later Marvi Memon of PML-Q also had filed a petition on the matter. The letters had alleged that unauthorised diversion of floodwater by influential landowners had badly affected people and caused unprecedented damage to property in rural areas of Sindh and Jaffarabad district of Balochistan.
