Assuaging the angry MQM, which staged a token walkout from both houses of parliament on Tuesday in protest of target killings in Karachi, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said he had sought report on the issue even though law and order was a provincial subject and the federal government could not directly interfere in it.
“We all are collectively fighting the war on terrorism. I have discussed the issue with the governor and Sindh chief minister and sought its report,” Gilani said. Earlier, speaking on a point of order, MQM central leader Haidar Abbas Rizvi said the government had left Karachi to the mercy of terrorists and no one, including the state machinery, was safe in the country’s economic hub.
He said target killings had once again started and 200 MQM workers had been killed in the last six months, adding that a number of the party’s Sindh Assembly members could not attend the session due to the deteriorating law and order in the city. The MQM lawmakers staged token walkout from the Lower House. Meanwhile, MQM senators also staged a token walkout from the Upper House after a point of order raised by Senator Abdul Haseeb in which he said that MQM workers were being killed in Karachi.
Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah also assured the MQM in the National Assembly that he would convey their concerns to the provincial government and requested his coalition partner to come back to the floor of the House after which the MQM rejoined the proceedings. The prime minister announced setting up ‘Revolving Fund’ for immediate rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by terrorist attacks.
Gilani said bazaars, schools, hospitals, bus stands and railways stations were easy targets for the terrorists. He said financial help from the Friends of Democratic Pakistan and financial institutions was being spent on reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools on a priority basis. In his speech on the budget, Sherpao suggested that the government set up a revolving fund for immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction in terrorism-affected areas.
He also suggested that a trust should also be formed for financial assistance and permanent care of victim families of terror incidents. Sherpao said state institutions should not blame each other, as it was not good for them. “We will have to move forward. The government should implement the report of the Abbottabad Commission,” he demanded.
Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh laid three ordinances, Income Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 2011, Federal Excise (Amendment) Ordinance 2011 and Sales Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 2011 recently promulgated by President Asif Ali Zardari.
The Income Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 2011 had been promulgated on March 15 under which a surcharge of 15 percent had been imposed on income tax for collecting additional revenue to help the flood victims while the Federal Excise (Amendment) Ordinance 2011 had enhanced federal excise duty from 1 percent to 2.5 percent and through Sales Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 2011, the president had imposed tax 17 percent general sales tax on tractors, bulldozers, fertilizers, pesticides.
Taking part in the budget debate, PML-N lawmaker Zahid Hamid said the government could not reduce the revenue deficit despite setting targets in last three budgets. Nelson Azeem of the PML-N and Kishan Chan Perwani of the PML-Q urged the government not to devolve the Ministry fro Minorities’ Affairs and take steps for the welfare of minorities in Pakistan.
