Opposition in Senate stages walk-out over CPEC issue

ISLAMABAD   –  The Opposition on Friday staged a protest walk-out from the Senate over the “unsatisfactory” response of the government on the issues related to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

The Opposition protested after Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar told the house that CPEC Authority Ordinance had lapsed in May 31, 2020 and Ministry of Planning was looking into all affairs of the authority.

“All matters of CPEC have come under the control of Ministry of Planning because authority does not exist now after the ordinance lapsed.”  Earlier, the Opposition questioned the status of the CPEC Authority stating how the authority continues to work after the ordinance had lapsed. 

Responding to the Opposition, the Federal Minister said the authority doesn’t exit legally and there is no question of any official working under it.

He said that the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning had endorsed the law about CPEC Authority on November 16, 2020.

The law will be presented before the Parliament to have its final assent, he said. “If the Parliament will consider it appropriate, it will approve the same.”

Hammad also chided the Opposition while apparently referring to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and questioned why it wanted to see an individual the Prime Minister of the country who was involved both in the Broadsheet and Panama cases.

Earlier, Minister for Planning Asad Umar in its written reply informed the house that the CPEC Authority Bill was pending before the National Assembly. “All administrative and financial decisions relating to CPEC projects are being taken by the relevant Ministries / Departments in accordance with the Laws and Rules in vogue.”

However, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmad, the mover of question, and PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi objected over the response of the government. Senator Abbasi held that the reply was inappropriate before the Opposition parties staged a protest walk-out from the house.  

The Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the House Senator Sherry Rehman opposed federal government’s takeover of three Sindh-based hospitals including National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and Jinnah Sindh Medical University.  She said that the federal government planned to take over them.

She said that the move was completely illegal under the 18th amendment and the opposition condemned this.

She said that service delivery which was with the province could not be taken over by the federal government. “The service delivery record of PTI in health and education is abysmal,” she said and questioned, “Why do they want to get into something they are not capable of handling?”

Speaking on the medical colleges test issue, Senator Sherry Rehman said that as many 121,000 students were protesting against the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) over their abrupt decision to ‘centralize’ the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) from this year. “How can they conduct exams without consulting the province and the syllabus? All rules have been violated to conduct these exams.”  

She said that the students have complained that they were given questions out of the syllabus in MDCTA paper. They also claimed that the names on the result certificates given to them were incorrect. “Their future is at risk”.

She argued that Pakistani doctors were acknowledged worldwide and their preliminary degree of PMDC held a lot of value and credibility. “But now PMDC has been destroyed by this government,” she added.

“We demand that an inquiry must be conducted and this issue should be referred to the committee concerned with a time frame,” the PPP lawmaker stated.

On this, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani referred the matter to the house committee.

Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem in his response said that these medical institutions were transferred to Sindh government after 18th Amendment. He said that the decision on the federal takeover had been taken by the Sindh High Court on a plea filed by the employees.