Lawmakers belonging to the ruling PTI on Thursday raised the issue of the controversial Kalabagh dam during the National Assembly proceedings, prompting a sharp rebuke from the opposition MNAs, who described it as a “dead horse”.
A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam, PTI MNAs from Punjab including Sanaullah Mastikhel, Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry and Farrukh Habib called for building the Kalabagh dam on which the provinces have been at odds with each other for decades.
Presenting the government’s policy stance, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said PM Imran realised the increasing water requirement of the country and that was why he had kicked off work on Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.
“Three provinces are against Kalabagh dam and it would not be constructed until everyone is on board,” he added.
“However, the prime minister wants a debate on all controversial issues and it [Kalabagh dam] should be discussed.”
During the proceedings, PPP's Naveed Qamar moved an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the increase in petroleum prices. However, Federal Energy Minister Omar Ayub opposed the move.
Qamar noted that there had been a significant decrease in oil prices in the international market and the government’s negligence and incompetence was to blame for the recent fuel crisis in the country. “If petroleum products were imported at the right time, people would have been able to avail fuel at cheap prices,” he maintained. The PPP leader said the energy minister should not have opposed a debate on the issue.
Ayub replied that the matter was being heard in the Lahore High Court and there was no increase in the petroleum development levy. “Therefore, it is unnecessary to discuss the matter.”
Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri dismissed the motion.
The treasury and opposition benches also engaged in a heated discussion on the issues of suspicious pilot licences and power outages in Karachi.
PML-N’s Murtaza Javed Abbasi and PPP Nafeesa Shah mainatained that Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar’s statement that nearly a third of the country’s pilots had dubious credentials had not only damaged the PIA but also tainted the country’s reputation.
Nafeesa pointed out that the Civil Aviation Authority in a recent statement had claimed that all licences it had issued were genuine.
“If the CAA is correct, then the aviation minister should resign,” she added.
The PPP MNA further claimed that a foreign airline was now operating on the national carrier’s route. “Preparations are under way to sell off the PIA’s flight route.”
She further said the owner of K-Electric, which had subjected the citizens of Karachi to prolonged power cuts, was a relative of PM Imran Khan. “This is an act of treason.”
The lawmakers of the ruling party were incensed over the PPP MNAs remarks. PTI’s Ali Awan responded that one of the parties now displaying their concerns for the PIA had hijacked one of its planes and the other one stole its aircraft and took it abroad.
Lal Chand Malhi, another PTI MNA, said the PPP had accused other parties of labelling their rivals as traitors and now it had resorted to doing that.
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