The Baloch lawmakers in Senate on Wednesday called upon the government to write-off loans of the farmers of the province, saying that they are already bearing the brunt of a long drought that devastated over 10,000 apple orchards alone. Senator Usman Kakar of Balochistan's Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, on a point of order, said that hundreds of farmers were languishing in prisons after they could not pay back loans.
"If massive loans obtained by industrialists and landlords could be written off, why the poor drought-hit farmers could not be also extended this relief," he maintained. He pointed out that on the pattern of subsidies given by US, India and Iran to their farmers, growers in Balochistan should also be given subsidy on electricity, pesticides and seeds, enabling them to stand on their feet.
The nationalist senator wanted the farmers of his province must also be protected from agriculture products coming from India and Iran, by imposing tax on them. Kakar also called for ensuring implementation of an agreement reached between Balochistan growers, Wapda and Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik with regard to supply of electricity to agriculture tube-wells.
Earlier, the Senate unanimously admitted an adjournment motion moved by PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed regarding the attempt by CDA to convert 1400 acres of land of Pakistan's premier National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) into commercial plots.
In his speech, Senator Mushahid highlighted three points in support of his motion. First, the key role of National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) in promotion of research on agricultural production, thereby saving foreign exchange and increasing agricultural yields, a role that NARC is playing since 1984. NARC was vital for Pakistan's agricultural base, he emphasised.
Second, he contended CDA was trying to seize 1400 acres of NARC land, which was not part of its master plan and was a violation of existing laws, rules & regulations. "In any case, CDA's own track record of handling land in Islamabad can be seen from the failure of its Park Enclave, launched in 2011, on which it collected advanced payment from potential owners of over Rs 2 billion, while they have yet to develop this sector or give the plots to those who paid for these for the last four years," he argued.
Another green area of Islamabad would become victim to developers' greed, he added, saying and this would promote unrelenting construction and tree-cutting. Third, Senator Mushahid lamented that Pakistan and its elite were developing a reputation of a 'greedy and grabby political culture with a quest for qabza paramount'. He questioned, "How much land does a man need' and there should be a limit to this 'greedy and grabby' culture that has no limits, even trying to seize land belonging to research institutions, with this obsession with plots from those who already have the means".
Mushahid also said that the board of governors of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, in its meeting on July 1, 2015, had opposed the move of CDA to grab the 1400 acres of land belonging to NARC. He said as an elected Senator from Islamabad, he felt it necessary to preserve and protect Islamabad as a beautiful, green capital. Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani while admitting the motion, said he would fix a time and date for discussion of this issue in the Senate.
To a calling attention by Senator Agha Shahbaz Durrani of PML-N, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Pervaiz Rashid said that the chairman of the National Commission of Human Rights had been named and members were also appointed and it would start work in a few weeks. He explained that to meet its office expenditures at the Cabinet Division, Rs 5 million had been also released to the commission. Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah of PML-Functional told the House that from Fata, Begum Jan had been made member of the commission.
PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar raised the issue of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, which was formed under an act of parliament to ensure that there would be no compromise on quality. However, he noted that private representation in the council had outnumbered regular members and there was a need to have discussion on the matter in the House. He added some doctors and organisations had also filed petitions in this connection. On this, the chair said perhaps the matter had already been referred to the House standing committee and he allow Babar to be present in its meeting, as he wished to be there, when it meets.
PML-N Senator Kulsoom Parveen also supported Babar's concern over PMDC and noted that recently a doctor had been poisoned to death who had qualified from abroad but was required to appear in a test in the council. He was asked to pay Rs 2 million, which he paid and then again was ordered to pay another Rs 200,000 to two doctors, which he declined, saying he had talked of approaching the police and FIA in this context.
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