Minister sounds alarm in NA over locust threat – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Admitting on the floor of the National Assembly that the prevailing situation due to a lobster attack is "unprecedented and alarming," the Minister of National Food Security, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, hinted on Thursday that he declared a "national emergency" in The country to deal with the crisis.

In response to the points of order raised by some members, including PML-N MNA of Bahawalpur Riaz Pirzada, about the danger to agriculture due to locust attack in almost the entire country, the minister informed the house that the government had already Prepared a national action. plan (NAP) to deal with the crisis and Prime Minister Imran Khan called a meeting on Friday (today) to review the situation, which would be attended by provinces and other stakeholders.

“There is a great threat. If we have to declare a national emergency, we will do so, "said the minister, revealing that Pakistan had already entered the" third category "and that it was only one step away from entering the last one. He said there were four categories known as" Green , Yellow, Orange and Red, "and added that" Pakistan is already in the Orange category. "

Bakhtiar said the situation was worse than what Pakistan faced in 1993. At that time, he added, lobsters had not been tracked in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but this time they were also found in Dera Ismail Khan. At present, he said, there were swarms of lobsters on the Pakistan-India border along Cholistan, adding that the lobsters had entered Cholistan and Nara from Sindh and Balochistan. Earlier, he said, lobsters used to move to Iran after some time, but perhaps this time due to low temperatures they were still present in Pakistan.

The opposition makes a strike on the government movement to extend the duration of the ordinances; Dawar and Murad exchange heated arguments

Bakhtiar said the government was attentive to the situation and had already allocated Rs 500 million for that purpose. He said that sufficient funds had already been provided to the provinces.

Then, the minister indirectly attacked the previous governments, saying that in 1993, the plant protection department had effectively fought lobsters, as it had about 20 fumigation planes and several vehicles for ground operations. Now, he lamented, there were no planes or vehicles. He said two pilots had already lost their lives during the locust operation.

Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Riaz Pirzada of PML-N said that lobsters had begun to reproduce and that farmers were concerned about the situation. He criticized the Punjab government for its alleged oversight in the matter.

At the beginning of the opening day of the new NA session, the opposition protested the government's decision to convene the assembly session ahead of time for what they called for extension to the ordinances already enacted and to establish three new ordinances .

Opposition members also organized a strike leaving a few members only to signal the lack of quorum, but President Asad Qaiser declared the house in order after a recount and continued the procedure in the absence of the opposition.

Before leaving the house, PPP MNA and former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf lashed out at the government for convening the session almost two weeks earlier just for seeking the approval of the ordinances. He described the measure as an "insult" to parliament and said they did not go to the assembly just to approve the ordinances.

Subsequently, the Chamber approved resolutions seeking an additional 120-day extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPEC) Ordinance of 1999 and the Tax Laws (First Amendment) of 1999.

Opposition members led by the president of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, entered the house when the assembly had already finished its agenda and he was giving the floor to the members to raise any matter of public importance.

PTM Arrests

The lower house of parliament also witnessed an exchange of heated discussions between Communications Minister Murad Saeed and Mohsin Dawar, an independent MNA backed by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, about the recent arrest of PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen and other party activists for treason charges.

Saeed, known for his fire brand speeches, defended the offensive against the PTM, claiming that the movement had been carrying out its activities in the country at the behest of Afghanistan.

Alleging that the PTM actually opposed the idea of ​​fencing the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he wondered why Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued statements every time an action was taken against the PTM. “Pakistan became safe securing its borders. But you say the fence must be cut, "he said, addressing lawmakers backed by PTM.

The minister demanded that MNA Ali Wazir take up the words he pronounced against parliament. He criticized statements by PTM leaders against security forces and said the border fence had protected people living in tribal areas. He said certain elements were carrying out a campaign against the armed forces.

Mohsin Dawar, in his first speech after his release from police detention on Wednesday, said the tendency to declare everyone a "traitor" should stop, calling it a "dangerous project" for the country.

“Those who have launched the project to declare everyone in the traitorous country should be arrested. Otherwise, there will come a time when the entire nation, except a few government officials, will be declared traitors, ”he said in his address to the lower house.

Dawar said PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen was arrested on January 27, two days after Defense Minister Pervez Khattak offered to hold a dialogue with the group.

"Who directs the affairs of the country?" He asked.

He said they were called traitors today, since similar charges were filed in the past against people like Bacha Khan, Wali Khan, Asfandyar Wali Khan, G.M. Syed, Fatima Jinnah and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. “The charges against these people have never been proven in any court of law. The only person convicted of treason charges is [former military ruler retired] Gen Pervez Musharraf.

"When the [Gen Musharraf] He was convicted, an institution spokesman questioned the conviction. This is a dangerous thing, ”he said.

Dawar said he was among the 29 people who were arrested from outside the press club in Islamabad while protesting against Pashteen's arrest. He said the policeman who dragged him and put him in the vehicle was raising slogans of "Islam Zindabad" and "Death to India."

“What kind of mentality is developing? Now we are also being declared incredulous, ”he said.

Dawar said that even Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi faced terrorism charges. He said they had not damaged a single floor during his movement, while the PTI had attacked the House of Parliament and the PTV building.

Published on Dawn, January 31, 2020