ISLAMABAD: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority on Thursday got a legal cover in the Senate with the unanimous passage of the CPEC Authority Bill, 2021, in opposition’s absence which had insisted on its referral to the house panel for deliberations and report.
Apparently, it took many, including the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, by surprise when towards the fag-end of the proceedings, Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan rose to seek permission to move the supplementary agenda item.
Leader of the Opposition in the House PPP’s Yusuf Raza Gilani contended they had no objection to the bill and recognised the special relationship of Pakistan with China. He, however, objected to bringing it in the house through supplementary agenda at the end of the day. “Why it cannot be taken up tomorrow”, he questioned and said it should be referred to the standing committee.
To this, Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem rejected the objection, saying it was the right of the government to bring supplementary agenda any time and he urged the chair to take the sense of the house on whether the bill should be sent to the committee or otherwise. The bill landed in the house through supplementary agenda and after objection by the opposition, instead of the adviser, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz moved the bill in the house.
Whereas, Babar Awan initially tried to move a motion seeking immediate consideration of the bill on behalf of Planning Minister Asad Umar, however, he had to give the way to the minister.
Though, the opposition senators wanted the bill to be sent to the hitherto non-existent standing committee concerned, Dr Shahzad Waseem highlighting the urgency said it was an important project linked with economic prosperity of Pakistan. He said the budget for the next fiscal year was just around the corner and the bill’s immediate passage was essential for budgetary consideration.
Opposition members, finding no other option, left the house when the motion was being moved. The house allowed consideration of the bill and unanimously passed it amidst a walkout by the opposition.
But before this bill, the opposition had defeated the government by one vote to block the immediate passage of a human rights bill moved by Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari, who wanted the bill to establish an effective system of protection, relief and rehabilitation of women, children, elders and any vulnerable person against domestic violence [The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021] to immediately sail through Senate but the opposition insisted on sending it to the standing committee first.
The opposition leader agreed that it was an important legislation that took months to be cleared from the National Assembly but said it should be referred to the standing committee first.
To this, Dr. Mazari pointed out that the bill remained pending for 10 months with the National Assembly’s standing committee on human rights headed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Dr Shahzad Waseem asked the chair to take sense of the house on taking up the bill for immediate passage. The opposition defeated the government by 35-34 through voice vote and the bill was referred to the standing committee concerned.
The Senate chairman directed the yet-to-be-formed committee to present its report to the house two days after its formation. Likewise, a bill to provide for the well-being, comfort and dignity of the senior citizens residing in the Islamabad Capital Territory [The Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Bill, 2021] was also referred to the standing committee.
The opposition strongly agitated on denying rightful share of water to the smaller provinces, particularly Sindh and insisted on replacement of the 1991 water accord with a new agreement for fair distribution of water among the provinces. And quite surprisingly, the acknowledgement of the need to review the water accord came by PTI’s former Water Resources Minister Senator Faisal Vawda, who conceded that there were issues that needed to be addressed. Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani raised the matter and said the provinces were facing warter shortage for several years. He pointed out that the 1991 water accord had failed to address the tension between provinces over water sharing and resultantly provinces had been accusing each other.
He suggested formation of a committee to work out a new water accord on the pattern of 1945 water agreement between Sindh and Punjab and said the chief ministers of the four provinces and water experts should also be invited to attend the meeting.
Rabbani was also alarmed by opening of Taunsa Panjnad (TP) link canal despite a 3-1 majority decision against its opening at IRSA meeting. The opposition senators staged a token walkout from the house against ‘irresponsible attitude’ of IRSA.
The former water resources minister said it was true that the previous governments in Punjab had usurped the rights of other provinces in water sharing through the telemetry system. He agreed that there was a need to review the 1992 water accord.
The Senate was also assured that by 2022, the target of 78 million population, eligible for Covid-19 vaccine, would be administered the required dosage.
During the question-hour, speaking on behalf of the Health Minister, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ai Muhammad Khan told the house that Pakistan had now reached the target of administering vaccination to 10,000 persons per day and so far 3.3 million people had been either partially or fully vaccinated, whereas the total number of vaccinated completely stood at over 1.5 million.
However, in a written reply to a question by Senator Mushtaq Ahmad, the Senate was informed that Pakistan’s approximate population was taken at 234 million people. It is an accepted fact globally that people under the age of 18 will not require a vaccine.
“If we take out population below 18 (49.2%) and pregnant women (2.8%) from the total population, that leaves roughly 112 million people as total eligible population. Public health experts believe a population reaches herd immunity if 70% of the people have either been infected with the virus or administered with the vaccine. In approximate numbers, this means that 78 million population will be targeted for COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan by the end of 2021. In 2022, this target will increase to vaccinate all the population,” the health minister said in the written reply.
Ali Muhammad while replying to a call attention notice by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq of the PM-N held out an assurance to the house that the matter relating to Saudi Arabia allowing intending Pakistani pilgrims would be allowed to perform the sacred duty this year, however, as per the numbers to be fixed by the Saudi authorities.
He explained that the government was fully cognizant of the matter and it had been taken up with the Saudi authorities and it also figured during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to the Kingdom. He noted that the matter was taken up in the first week of May at different levels afterwards as well. The Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health were engaged.
The minister pointed out that a meeting was fixed between the Pakistani ambassador and Saudi minister of state concerned on this issue. He said that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also discussed it as well about the stranded Pakistani workers with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of the UN assembly session recently.
Ali Muhammad emphasised that none would be deprived of pilgrimage because of the Chinese vaccine, as the government was on its toes. Senator Nuzhat had drawn attention of the foreign minister towards the exclusion of Chinese vaccines from the list of vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities for pilgrims owing to which a large number of Pakistanis, who had received Chinese vaccines, would not be able to travel to Saudi Arabia this year for pilgrimage and Umrah.
Responding to another call attention notice, by PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz, Ali Muhammad said in categorical terms that there was no shortage of funds from the government side for the under-construction Mohmand dam and noted that in March 2020, 2,000 workers were engaged for the project but due to the coronavirus, 1,700 had to leave. However, he continued that afterwards, 3,500 workers were working on the project, including the Chinese.
He said that the government’s seriousness about timely completion of the project could be gauged from the fact that the prime minister had visited it at least thrice and on its completion, the dam would have a major impact on flooding, water scarcity, water table issues and generation of cheaper electricity etc.
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