Deaths in Karachi: Opposition to observe ‘black day’ on 26th

The meeting decides to stage a walkout from the house for the second consecutive day in protest against the government

ISLAMABAD:

Opposition parties in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday announced a nationwide ‘black day’ on Friday to mourn hundreds of deaths caused by the persisting deadly heatwave in Karachi.

Opposition lawmakers also offered funeral prayers in absentia for the victims of Karachi heatwave outside the Parliament House. Earlier, the opposition parties held a meeting, chaired by Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah.

The meeting decided to stage a walkout from the house for the second consecutive day in protest against the government, which, the opposition claimed, had disregarded parliamentary norms on Monday and did not bother to send any MP to bring back the opposition lawmakers.

Later, the parties briefly came into the house, where Shah criticised the government for passing the demands for grants and appropriations [federal budget] at a time when the opposition was staging walkout. “The opposition had prepared 1,550 cut motions but could not move them because we were protesting on a national issue of power crisis,” he said, adding that the government had not set a good tradition.

Shah said oil prices had slumped in the international market but the government had failed to address power crisis and had doubled power tariff during last two years.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said a requisition would be submitted for the summoning of National Assembly to discuss the increasing load-shedding during hot weather. He regretted that government bypassed opposition on a most important part of legislation and tried to bulldoze the opposition.

Qureshi as well as Sheikh Rashid Ahmed demanded resignation of Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif and State Minister Abid Sher Ali over the power crisis in the country.

Responding to their speeches, Asif offered to brief the house on the two years performance of his ministry and said he was accountable to the parliament. He, however, said the government had little control over the power crisis in Karachi, as the energy providing utility of the city, K-Electric, is a private entity.

Later, the proceedings were suspended for over an hour as opposition leaders held a meeting with government representatives at the speaker’s chamber. The opposition wanted to requisition a special session over the massive load-shedding in Karachi but the government said this could happen in the ongoing session.

As talks failed, the opposition staged a walkout while the government resumed proceedings. The speaker sent a couple of ministers to bring the opposition back to the house but the mission to appease protesting lawmakers failed and government got the opportunity to pass finance bill with no one to raise objections.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented the finance bill and a bulky set of amendments before the house where lawmakers – now only from ruling party and its allies – unanimously passed Rs4.1 trillion budget with Rs238 billion new taxes

The new budget will come into force from July 1. The NA also approved Rs139 billion supplementary budget for the outgoing fiscal year that the government availed to fund Operation Zarb-e-Azb, power subsidies and to dole out cash to influential sugar millers and wheat growers.

The NA also approved Rs220 million supplementary budget that the government availed to buy three dozen cars in violation of a ban on procurements.


Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2015.