Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani on Thursday referred the issue of plantation of 5 billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as mentioned by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech in China, to the House committee concerned to probe it and report back to the House.
Former Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani sought the chairman's ruling on the fact whether or not the minister in-charge of the Ministry of Commerce who, according to the rules, is prime minister had signed the written replies, as Abdul Razak Dawood was an adviser.
To this, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Azam Swati said he would give due weight to Rabbani's point and check if the minister in-charge had signed the replies.
During the question-hour, the chair gave this ruling after opposition lawmakers, including Senators Mushahid Ullah Khan, Talha Mehmood and Agha Shahzaib Durrani, raised a volley of questions about the authenticity of the claim of even having planted 1.18 billion trees during the tenure of PTI government in the province, what to talk of 5 billion trees.
Senator Mushahidullah of PML-N said the tree plantation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was an extremely serious issue, as the prime minister during his recent China visit, read out from his written speech that 5 billion trees were planted in the province and this was in total contrast to their previous claim of 1.18 billion trees.
He rejected State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan's reply that they had maps and other evidences to prove that. "The reply is unsatisfactory, as there are various yardsticks of gauging such massive plantation. China planted trees in a rugged area and then a city was developed within six years and now 5-6 million people live there and important events are held, as temperature has come down there by 3 degree centigrade," he noted.
Senator Mushahidullah continued that likewise, Iran grew 500 million trees and it brought down temperature by four degree centigrade. He contended that if 6.18 billion trees had been planted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there would have been snowfall in Peshawar in June. He insisted the matter needs investigation; therefore it should be referred to the House committee.
Senators Talha Mehmood of JUI-Fazl and PML-N's Shahzaib Durrani questioned if so much trees were planted, what has been their impact on environment/climate or these exist only in speeches and on papers. To this, Ali Muhammad said that their impact was excessive rains. However, they expressed reservations in this context. The minister said that it should be probed as to how many trees were planted during the tenures of PML-N in the Centre, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and claimed more trees were grown in the province during PTI's five years tenure.
In a written reply to a question asked by Senator Talha, the House was informed that it had been indicated in various international reports that from 10 percent to 25 percent forest cover was useful to meet local needs.
The Senate was told that Pakistan presently has 5.01 percent of the total land area under forest; hence it was one of 56 low forest cover countries in which forest cover was less than 10 percent of total land area.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Azam Swati said that he has written to the Federal Public Service Commission for details on how paper was leaked and what measures have been taken to improve surveillance. "How great injustice was done while FPSC is a prominent autonomous body. Such things create serious apprehensions inside the country and abroad," he regretted.
Senators Kulsoom Parveen, Sassui Palijo and Mir Kabeer insisted that this should be the first and last incident of paper leakage. Swati said he is member of the NA committee concerned, which had taken notice of this matter and would monitor it. Swati replying to another question asked by Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh accepted that the Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1979 do not contain any provision for recovery of embezzled money from corrupt officer, convicted of embezzlement. However, he said he has asked the secretary to furnish an amendment proposal by Monday next to evolve a mechanism for recovery of embezzled amounts.
Senators Ateeq and Muhammad Talha Mehmood decried the fact how corruption could be stopped when there are no rules and the government has to move the courts for this purpose, which consumes previous time.
Minister for Aviation Division Ghulam Sarwar Khan told the House that at present there is no plan for privatisation of PIA and said that the details of how it is to be privatised would be revealed at the time of its placement on the privatisation list, as Senator Mushahid Ullah said the government is set to sell 49 percent shares of PIA and wanted details of the same, whether or not foreign private firms be qualified to take part in bidding.
The minister said that so far 250 PIA employees, having fake academic documents, have been fired and that an inquiry has been ordered with regards to a PIA plane secretly flown to Germany. He assured the House that those responsible for it would not be spared.
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