Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarian from Federal Administration Territory Area FATA blasted the Nawaz Sharif government on Tuesday for depriving the people from the social and uplift scheme being executed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

A firebrand parliamentarian from P ML(N) ranks also hit the government for unscheduled power load shedding in Sindh and warned that the water and power ministry had been creating anti Punjab province perception among the people of Sindh which would damage national cohesion.

The National Assembly proceeding was marred by the absence of opposition and pointing out the lack of quorum the speaker was compelled to put off the proceeding for more than half an hour.

Shah Jee Afridi delivered an emotional speech in the house, highlighting the plight of FATA people and mistreatment of the federal government being meted out to them.

He said the people of FATA laid their lives for the security of Pakistan but in return the government “has bestowed us with hunger, lawlessness, unemployment , poverty and destruction. Thousands of poor people from FATA left their homes, businesses and social life during the Zarb-e- Azb operation but the people of Pakistan have left the FATA IDPS in the lurch”, he added.

Shah Jee Afridi who is a firebrand parliament said that people from FATA are loyal to Pakistan and their heart beats are in consonance with Paksitan but FATA was neglected by Nawaz Sharif who had promised the people that their needs would be addressed. He said the people of that area had been suffering from load shedding, although they are paying their power dues in time.

Mian Iftikhar another parliamentarian from the scenic valley of Chitran also slated the federal government for not taking enough development work for the people of that area which, he claimed, is the first bastion of nationl security.

MNA Nisar Jatt who hails from Faisalabad constituency raised the issue of unscheduled power outage in Sindh and accused the water and power ministry of sowing hatred among the people of Sindh which he claimed would damage our nation’sunity. He also called upon the government to address the issue of power outage on priority basis otherwise the expletive situation could create massive problems for the federal government. He said the people of Mirpur Khas, are paying their power bills on time but they are facing power outages for over 14 hours a day.

Nisar Jatt warned the government to mend “their ways other wise the people are ready to go to the streets against the unfriendly policies of the federal government.

He said he would raise the public issue in the Assembly floor as no one can gag or muzzle” him.

While defending power load shedding in the country , federal minister for water and power Khawaja Asif dispelled the impression that unscheduled load shedding was being observed in Sindh.

He said load shedding was not being observed on political basis but it is being done on the government own plan.

Khawaja Asif assured the house that he would present the detail of load shedding of each power feeder in the country and added the government is not adopting discriminating power policy.

Another kitchen minister Ahsan Iqbal also higlhlighted the achievement of the Nawaz Sharif government in the field of economy, security and foreign fronts. He said China is committed to invest more than 35 billion dollars in the field of energy and the remaining more than 11 billion dollars would be spent on infrastructure.

Another close aide and member of the federal cabinet GeneraL R Abdul Qadir Baluch defended the government policy in FATA and said the whole country is well aware of FATA people’s sacrifies for the cause of the Pakistan. He said the Nawaz Sharif government hadstarted uplift schemes in FATA which would change the fate of the people of that area.