The government assured the opposition in the National Assembly on Friday that it had no political motives to achieve by offering to form a parliamentary committee on relief and rehabilitation of the quake affectees.
A veteran member of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians proposed that instead of waiting for foreign aid, the government should have utilised at least 1 billion dollars from foreign exchange reserves for the welfare of the quake-hit people.
Members from both sides of the aisle aired acute concern over the survival of millions of quake victims in the face of bone-chilling weather and reports of outbreak of epidemics.
They feared hundreds and thousands of people who survived the quake, could die simply because of inadequate arrangements for their shelter, food and healthcare.
It remains a mystery, why key treasury leaders, including PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Hamid Nasir Chattha and Farooq Leghari have not participated in the on-going debate. They also skipped the debate in the previous session on the same subject.
PPPP MNA Fauzia Wahab was seen getting a piece of paper signed by the members that was later circulated in the Press Gallery. It was in fact a resolution, seeking renaming of President's Relief Fund as Pakistan Earthquake Relief Fund.
The House resumed business 30 minutes behind schedule at 10:30 am and Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao was given the floor after a volley of points of orders.
Sardar Mohammad Yaqub, who most of the time, presided over the proceedings, assured the members that all privilege motions, including the one filed by seven treasury and opposition MNAs against Information Minister Sheikh Rashid, would be taken up on Monday.
Sherpao clarified that the government had nothing to do with point scoring vis-à-vis the offer of formation of a parliamentary committee for monitoring the relief and rehabilitation activities.
"We want the opposition to join us, air proposals and pinpoint irregularities if they detect any defects in the post-quake operations," he maintained.
The interior minister said the opposition did not respond positively to a proposed briefing on relief activities, an all parties' conference, but still the government was hopeful of an encouraging response from them on the constitution of the parliamentary body.
The government, Sherpao said, wants to take the opposition on board to help alleviate pangs and sufferings of those affected.
He was hopeful that the opposition would cooperate with the government in rehabilitation and help monitor the same.
Responding to some points raised by opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi contended that the National Assembly's functioning was in accordance with the Constitution and rules and procedures.
He made it clear that the Federal Relief Commission and other agencies were working under the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and were answerable to him.
The minister also dispelled the impression that the parliamentary form of government had been replaced by one-man's rule. "Parliamentary system is functioning as envisaged in the Constitution," he argued.
About President Musharraf's address to the joint sitting of both Houses of the Parliament, he said for this the opposition members would have to 'behave' as this event was the most solemn in parliamentary traditions.
Citing a Supreme Court decision, he said that a member or members found marring or disturbing the House proceedings could be penalised.
He flayed Leader of Opposition Maulana Fazlur Rehman for not attending the recently held National Security Council meeting and demanded of him to quit as the opposition leader for his inability to deliver.
PPPP's Sherry Rehman pointed out that the United Nations and other world agencies had cautioned that hundreds of thousands of the quake survivors could die because of cold weather, improper shelter, lack of health cover and malnutrition.
In this connection, she cited news reports, indicating outbreak of epidemics such as cholera, scabies, motion and dysentery in the affected localities.
Sherry Rehman wanted the government to apprise the House of budgetary adjustments and cuts to divert funds for desperately required rehabilitation.
Another PPPP member Naheed Khan proposed that at least 1 billion dollars from the foreign exchange reserves should be used for relief and rehabilitation of the calamity-hit victims.
She emphasised that the government should stop making appeals to the world community, crying they had pledged much lesser than expected.
The lawmaker was of the view that the response of the international community would have been big, had this appealed made by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. "Political government always carries weight," she claimed.
Ruling party's MNA Kashmala Tariq proposed creation of Ministry of Crisis Management to handle the quake-like calamities in future.
She said that in order to bring more transparency to the relief and rehabilitation activities, committees should be formed, comprising members of the House, MPAs and local district nazims.
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) member Pervaiz Malik sought an explanation, as to why the findings of Nespak aired in 1980 that an earthquake, measuring 7.6 intensity could hit Islamabad and other areas was not given weight.
He proposed that to collect funds for quake affectees, a tax should be levied on luxury cars and big plots.
He charged that the government had not done proper homework regarding the upcoming donors' conference on November 19, saying some diplomats told him they did not know yet who was to be invited from their respective countries. Some members believed that several teams of psychiatrists were needed to treat millions of traumatised men, women and children.
The House will now meet for probably its last sitting of the current session on Monday at 4:00 pm.