Members of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Thursday staged a walkout from National Assembly to protest against the government for their reservations over procedure of housing and population census in the military operation-hit tribal areas. The opposition members of the House also expressed their reservations over census commissioners and said that three members out of four have been appointed for five years on contract basis from Punjab.
Jamaluddin of the JUI-F while speaking on a point of order expressed reservations on housing and population census of internally displaced persons (IDPs). He said their houses have been destroyed due to terrorism, adding that even 11 per cent area of South Waziristan was not cleared by the military.
He demanded that there census will be carried out on the basis of data available with the FATA Disaster Management Authority.
After it, the members of the JUI-F staged a walkout from the House in protest, while at this moment the FATA members joined hands with them in this regard.
Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi asked Parliamentary Secretary for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan to persuade the members to settle their issues. The parliamentary secretary convinced the members and they joined the proceedings of the House.
Afzal Khan assured the House that he will take up the matter with the finance minister to help remove the reservations of the FATA members.
Sheikh Salahuddin of Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) also expressed his reservation regarding the process of population census and said that flats of vertical building are not being accounted. He said that the transparency is very necessary in this regard, because NFC Award, seats of assemblies and others depend on the population in the future.
Later, Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour of Awami National Party (ANP) expressed concern over the census commissioners and said that one member should be appointed from each province.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, President Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the PML-N government should make the report of Abbottabad Commission public.
He said that 16000 visas were issued to the American nationals in the previous government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), adding that many visas were issued from Dubai. He asked the government to investigate the matter. "Another country is coming to get thousand visas of Pakistan," he remarked.