ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarian in Senate, Taj Haider, on Friday wrote a letter to all PPP senators calling for collective efforts in the Senate to highlight issues concerning the people of Pakistan.
In the letter he wrote, “Economic disaster, unemployment, poverty, alarming drop in production and exports, rising foreign and local debt, the arbitrary and thoughtless imposition of counter- productive indirect taxes, collapse of agriculture, astronomically high tariffs of electricity and rising circular debt in spite of the international oil process dropping to one third of the previous levels, the long hours of load shedding of electricity for domestic consumers, the reversal of the 18th Amendment of the Constitution, the transfer of wealth from the working classes and middle classes to the elite and then abroad, impunity with which the government is justifying and defending exposed acts of its historic corruption, gross mishandling of the CPEC project and many other such issues that directly affect the people of Pakistan are issues that deserve our most serious and un-interrupted attention.”
He wrote that economic growth without equality is a myth. Fudging of figures cannot rectify the economic mess or reduce poverty levels. “Government of the elite, by the Elite and for the elite, cannot cover up its failures by its hollow rhetoric. Like all rhetoric exercises this rhetoric of the government too is motivated by nothing else but self-interest. Their deceptive trick is to accord primacy to non-issues in order to push the real issues to the background. They champion the art of publicising a few show piece projects which are not feasible. These only increase the burden on the taxpayer and enlarge disparity. Unfortunately, the dominant trend in the media too is to echo superficial conflicts on non-issues which only add to the general confusion in public minds,” he added.
“Our duty is not only to bring forth the real hard facts, but also to present and project logical pro-people solutions that can bring the nation and the country out of the bottomless pit of self-destruction. The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the senate provide us with many instruments like questions, resolutions, adjournment motions, calling attention notices, motions under Rule 218, raising of matters of public importance, private member’s bills and of course the general debate on the floor of the senate to check the anti-people actions of the government, to bring out the real hard facts and to project and promote our logical pro-people viewpoints and ideology. I propose that we use these instruments most effectively. Our cumulative activity in these areas needs to be increased,” he wrote.
“A matter of prime importance is our regular attendance in the House and in the various committees of the senate. The Leadership attaches great importance to our attendance. We have heard the honourable chairman senate reminding the cabinet ministers that the business of the House should have precedence over all other business. The same principle applies to all of us. I trust our Senators would accord punctuality the importance that it deserves,” he wrote. “Of course at times there are other responsibilities and engagements that cannot be put off. In all such situations, I would highly appreciate that an advance notice about absence is sent by SMS. This would certainly be a help in formulating our strategy, he added.
“The time for making a dedicated collective effort is now. I look forward to your cooperation and valuable advice in fulfilling the duties assigned to me,” he concluded.
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