Balochistan Assembly demands Watan cards be issued immediately

Baloch­istan Assemb­ly member­s demand Watan cards be issued immedi­ately as in other provin­ces.

QUETTA: Members of the Balochistan Assembly have demanded that Watan cards be immediately issued to Balochistan’s flood victims, as has been done in other provinces. The demand was made during a Balochistan Assembly session chaired by Speaker Aslam Bhootani here on Thursday.

On a point of order, MPA Saleem Khosa drew the attention of the house to the current situation in the flood-hit areas. He said that Watan cards were being distributed everywhere but Balochistan, where the process is yet to begin.

“Ninety five per cent of Jaffarabad district’s population has been devastated by the floods, Watan cards should be issued to all of them,” he said. Many families are still in dire need of food and other necessities said Khosa and appealed for immediate steps to be taken to help them.

Legislators Nasir Jamali and Sardar Aslam Bizenjo said that more than one and a half month had passed without any proper strategy being devised by the federal and provincial governments to restore the irrigation system and ensure the issuance of Watan cards.

“The floodwaters have still not receded in several areas of the Naseerabad division,” said Nasir Jamali.

The legislators said that the flood victims would ‘create a law and order situation’ if immediate steps were not taken.

“The major problem is the restoration of Khirthar Canal because there is only one month left for wheat cultivation,” said provincial minister irrigation, Sardar Aslam Bizenjo. The Balochistan government has started repairing the canal on its own but the Sindh government had not despite assurances by officials, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2010.