Government’s indifference angers FATA senators

Lawmakers from the tribal areas say they have yet to receive development funds.

ISLAMABAD:

For senators from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), Wednesday was another wasted day as they failed to get the government’s attention and once again walked out from the proceedings over failure to release development funds.

“The government is neither ready to acknowledge Fata as part of the country nor is it willing to consider us as members of the Senate,” said Senator Abdul Rashid of Fata prior to the walkout.

“We will continue to walk out from the proceedings on a daily basis,” he added.

However, some opposition parties and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) along with Jamiat Ulema-e- Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) staged a token walkout to express solidarity with the Fata members.

Speaking on a point of order, Rashid said that we (eight senators from Fata) represent about seven million people, but the government does not pay any heed to our concerns, despite daily boycotts since the beginning of the ongoing session.

We have been subjected to a continuous war in the form of ‘drone attacks’ in addition to internal unrest, but the government is depriving us of our rightful funds.

In response to the walkout, Leader of the House Nayyer Hussain Bokhari said that their problems regarding development programmes will be addressed.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan clarified that PTV’s contract with Zee TV of India was aimed at promoting sports in the country. “It (the contract) has no ulterior motives and is not against national interest,” she added.

Professor Khursheed Ahmed of JI and Haji Muhammad Adeel of the Awami National Party had moved an adjournment motion saying a joint venture of PTV with Zee TV is a political and cultural threat to Pakistan.

The House also constituted a committee to persuade provinces to pass a resolution as required by Article 144 of the Constitution to rectify lacunas in allocation of functions of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA).

Earlier, Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim told the house that the government is exploring the feasibility of preferential trade agreements with different countries to enhance the export of garments and other textile related products.

Pakistan’s agro products have witnessed an increase of 19.9 per cent from 12.5 per cent during the last five years as the country earned $ 4.9 billion in foreign exchange from export of agriculture products during the last financial year, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2011.