ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi on Tuesday stunned parliamentarians in the National Assembly by taking on his senior party colleague and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for his fiery speech which he delivered in the House on Monday.
Abbasim without naming Khawaja Asif, advised him to quit the government and sit on the opposition benches if he has to speak like an opposition member. “You are part of the system for the last 40 years which you are saying is not on the right path,” Abbasi said, adding that it did not suit a member on treasury benches to speak like this.
The railways minister advised the defence minister advised to resign if he had any differences with the government. “I also witnessed precedents in the past that if any minister had differences with government policies, he resignedm but remain part of the treasury benches,” he said.
Abbasi advised Khawaja Asif that if he could not deliver in his constituency then he should accept the responsibility. “Do not try to discredit the hard work done by the prime minister and chief minister for the sake of going viral,” he said, adding that bureaucracy is often criticised here.
The MNA from Rawalpindi said that he could not understand when a treasury member says it was hybrid system, starts abusing bureaucrats, and says there is no local government system. It is better to sit on the opposition then. “Have some fear of Allah Almighty, you are very much part of this government. This trend should come to an end,” he said.
Abbasi said that he would never say that he is not responsible for encroachments in Rawalpindi and other problems in the city. “I can claim that Rawalpindi city is in much better position amid heavy rains,” he said.
Abbasi said that he led many development projects in Rawalpindi but never blackmailed any contractors and made them do quality work.
Earlier, Khawaja Asif told the National Assembly that a contractor who belongs to his city -- Sialkot -- and now a member of the Senate, sold out plots on land of nullahs and riverbeds and played havoc with the nature.
He said that everybody knows as to how he reached the Upper House. “What you expect from the common man if such are deeds of political elite,” he said.
The defence minister pointed out that when he was minister for water and power, he received an offer from the same contractor. “What is political struggle of this person and how he reached the Parliament,” he questioned.
Asif also questioned as to how much land had been retrieved from mafia and encroachments removed in the last three years.
At the same time he called for devolution of power across the country and said that local government system should be strengthened. “We need a comprehensive and robust local government system which can serve people at their doorsteps,” he said.
He regretted that every government has been using the local government system as tool to serve their interests.
He mentioned that there has been no real devolution of power as the powers remain concentrated in provincial capitals particularly in the Punjab province.
Minister for Water Resources Moeen Wattoo has said surveys are being carried out to estimate the losses caused by the floods to crops and homes.
Speaking on a motion regarding the situation arising out of the flood situation, he assured that the flood affected people will be compensated.
He said the government is fully cognisant of the current situation. He mentioned the prime minister is giving instructions for the provision of timely relief to the flood affected people.
He said plans will also be formulated to effectively deal with natural disasters in the coming years.
He mentioned that the prime minister is holding consultations with the relevant authorities regarding accelerating work on under construction dams as well as planning for new water reservoirs to enhance water storage capacity.
He said that recommendations of the house Will also be considered while planning for the future.
The PTI-supported parliamentarians boycotted the proceedings of the House as a protest against disqualification of their party colleagues.
Participating in the discussion, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam highlighted the devastation caused by floods in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“We have provided compensation to the affected families at their doorsteps. He said the prime minister has also mobilised the NHA for restoration of road infrastructure in the region.
He said the federal government has extended full cooperation for rescue and relief activities in flood affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Muhammad Aslam Ghumman expressed grief and sorrow over the death and destruction caused by the floods. Saira Afzal Tarar emphasised the need to take immediate measures to mitigate the impact of the floods.
Samina Khalid Ghurki commended armed forces for remaining at the forefront in dealing with the situation arising from floods.
Shahida Begum highlighted that climate change is severely affecting Pakistan, regretting that precautionary measures were not taken. She also condemned encroachments along the rivers.
Aasia Ishaque emphasised that there should be evacuation drills before the onset of monsoon season. Noor Alam Khan said India has committed water aggression by releasing water into Pakistan, warning that our arch enemy will release more water.
Mirza Ikhtiar Baig said there should be no construction within two hundred meters of riverbeds.
Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan said that the flood affected people should be fully compensated for their losses.
