Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians on Wednesday called for deferment of over $1 billion purchase of six surveillance planes from Sweden and channelling the money for desperately-needed rehabilitation of earthquake victims.
In this context, PPPP wanted a full-fledged debate in the Senate, as the party spokesman Farhatullah Babar filed a calling-attention notice with the Senate Secretariat on Wednesday.
Talking to Business Recorder, Babar said that adequate defence budget allocations should be diverted towards rehabilitation of hundreds of thousands homeless people, stuck in the quake-hit mountainous areas.
"When General Musharraf has made up with both India and Israel, defence expenditures must be scaled down to meet the multi-faceted challenges arising out of the natural disaster," he added.
He said that construction of new General Headquarters building in Islamabad might also be suspended for two years as, on the one hand, the rulers kept on seeking world assistance and, on the other, there was no gesture of austerity from their side.
Quoting a news report, he said that the rulers were busy in expediting surveillance (Saab) planes deal, while the quake victims were dying because of lack of shelter and medical cover.
He emphasised that the civilian government and the military's top brass should adopt austerity. The status quo will not convince the world community to give assistance as desired by the rulers, he added.
Citing President Musharraf's statement that the defence budget would not be cut, he said PPPP would like to know the reasons behind such a categorical assertion.
"The wounded, ill men, women and separated and orphaned young souls want relief, succour and shelter, before the bone-chilling weather kills them," he contended.
He also referred to a United Nations warning that life of thousands of people was at risk due to shortage of funds to keep up momentum of relief aid provision.
PPPP senator proposed that $12 billion foreign exchange reserves should also be utilised for relief and rehabilitation. "It will be the best possible use of these reserves," he remarked.
Babar said that the combined opposition was all set to raise its voice against the grave shortcomings, surfacing vis-à-vis relief and rehabilitation activities.