ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday witnessed heated exchanges between the government and the PTI after the opposition accused federal authorities of failing to adequately support flood victims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The PTI also staged a walkout from the session, protesting the disqualification of its lawmakers.
Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had not provided sufficient help to the worst-hit areas, particularly Buner, where 236 people have died, 120 others were injured, and 1,470 shops and 875 homes destroyed since torrential rains began on August 15.
“I say at this forum that we will continue to be at odds with the NDMA,” he remarked on the floor, adding that the authority had provided only a limited amount of supplies in Buner.
Law and Human Rights Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar interrupted, calling Gohar’s complaint “politics for the sake of politics.” He explained that disaster response functions on three tiers: district disaster management authorities run by deputy commissioners, provincial authorities overseen by the provinces, and the NDMA, which primarily coordinates and shares information.
“If the opposition only wants to play politics and walk out, I don’t know what kind of assembly we are sitting in,” Tarar said. He noted that Rs1.3 billion had been released to the NDMA for flood relief and stressed that cooperation between federal and provincial authorities was critical.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said it was “highly regrettable” for PTI leaders to claim they were denied space in parliament despite repeated opportunities to speak. He offered to arrange a visit for opposition members to NDMA’s head office.
Tarar added that NDMA had developed a mobile app providing 92 per cent accurate forecasts and urged people in flood-hit areas to use it. “Relief has a long way to go, but the nation must stand together to help those affected,” he said.
Talks on Balochistan issue
Separately, Minister of State for Interior Affairs Tallal Chaudhry expressed the government’s readiness to engage with Balochistan’s leadership and political representatives on the issue of missing persons.
He said no institution or agency had the mandate to displace people outside the law. Referring to a Balochistan National Party-Mengal rally in Quetta targeted by a suicide bomber earlier this week, he said the gathering had taken place without security clearance.
Chaudhry noted that women from Balochistan were holding a sit-in in Islamabad to demand the release of remanded group members, including chief convener Dr Mahrang Baloch. Calling them “our sisters and daughters,” he said the government was trying to provide security and facilitate them despite restrictions under court orders and legislation.
He alleged that the protest had been “held hostage” by a few individuals using it for “personal point scoring,” but added that the government remained open to dialogue. However, he stressed, “the government cannot release people on bail who are under trial in the courts.”
