The government on Friday dismissed the allegations that pop singer Hadiqa Kiani was allowed to adopt a quake-affected baby, saying it was a 'love child' she took from the Edhi Foundation.
Responding to two calling attention notices regarding violation of ban imposed by the government on child adoption, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi assured the Lower House that nobody would be allowed to adopt quake-affected children.
The opposition lawmakers submitted two separate calling attention notices also highlighting handing over custody of unclaimed children admitted in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences without proper identification of their heirs.
They expressed serious concerns over reports that Hadiqa has been allowed to adopt a quake-hit child despite imposition of ban on child adoption for next six months.
Sher Afgan informed the National Assembly that the child adopted by Hadiqa Kiani does not belong to Kashmir or any calamity-hit area. "The singer has adopted a love child from Edhi Foundation. Neither he is Kashmiri nor he belongs to any other earthquake-hit area," he added.
He reiterated that the government would not allow adoption of children for at least six months, as children after getting treatment in the federal hospitals are being handed over to Ministry of Social Welfare.
The minister said documentation of unclaimed children was being carried by keeping their fingerprints and photographs in record. He went on saying that the government was also carrying out complete documentation and authentication of relatives whom children have been handed over by the hospital administrations.
Earlier, the attention of the House was also drawn to a matter that LPG use generates dangerous "propane gas" resulting in the disorder of nervous system of human being. However, the Minister of State for Petroleum Naseer Mengal looked to be completely blind to respond to members' concern and sought time to get detailed report in this connection.
Deputy Speaker Sardar Yaqub, who was conducting the business of the House at that time, directed the minister to present a detailed report in the House on Monday.