Kidney sale-purchase business in full swing in S Punjab, NA told
Muhammad Saleh Zaafir and Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: A lady member of the National Assembly from Karachi shook the house on Tuesday on a point of order at the dying hours of the proceedings when she raised the issue of sale-purchase business of kidney in southern Punjab.
Kishwer Zehra, belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), giving account of her efforts for eradication of the menace narrated the story of her Monday visit to the rural areas between Lahore and Islamabad and told the house that more than 10,000 poor and helpless peasants and brick-kiln workers have sold out their one kidney in the areas around Kot Momin and Sargodha’s suburbs. Giving details of her visit to 7/8 villages of the area, she revealed that despite the legislation against this heinous “business” 13 months ago, 450 people sold their kidney during this period. She said that previously the kidney was sold for Rs40,000 but ever-since the legislation has been done the price has increased and the so-called donor is paid rupees one hundred and four thousand for the vital part of his/her body. The doctors who implant the kidney are charging Rs 2,200,000 for one transplant from their patient. A hospital in Rawalpindi is exclusively involved in the trade and it has spread its agents in the whole area for purchasing the kidneys.
The legislator said that the poor of the area take petty loans for their dire needs as most of them work with their families in brick-kilns. The compound interest doesn’t allow them to come out the cycle of the loan and unfortunately the big landholders are the owners of most of the brick-kilns. She gave account of a woman that had already sold her one kidney and she could not pay off her loan and next week her 15 years old daughter is going to sell her kidney to rid of the loan of her mother.
Kishwer Zehra reminded the house that the law was adopted on March 17, 2010 and after the lapse of one year and one month, no concrete action has been taken to stop this atrocious trade.
She thanked the acting speaker Faisal Karim Kundi for providing her opportunity to raise the issue but incidentally no minister was present in the house when she was allowed to agitate her point of order.
Mian Raza Rabbani, Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, gave fair amount of time to the house on Tuesday but the time she raised her point of order, he too had left the house. She urged for immediate action by the government to stop this inhuman trade.
Kishwer Zehra also agitated the question of inaction of the administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against those who were responsible for killing of innocent protesters of Hazara. The targeted people were demanding for a separate province but they were brutally killed right one year ago on April 12, 2010 in Hazara. She asked for bringing to the justice those who perpetrated the deplorable and condemnable killings.
Speaking on the issue of closure of Geo Super, Information Minister Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan told the National Assembly that the government would implement the court verdict in letter and spirit.
“The matter is now sub judice with the court and the government will implement the court verdict in letter and spirit.” The statement from the information minister came in the wake of PML-N and other opposition parties’ protest on Monday against victimisation of the Jang Group with particular reference to the closure of Geo Super.
The opposition leader, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, in his speech on Monday termed action against the Jang Group as shameful. Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, while referring to the stoppage of transmission by Geo Super, claimed that Pemra did not stop its transmission but only asked it to work according to the regulations.
“It is the present government which faces with open heart all sorts of criticism, even criticism for the sake of criticism,” she said. The minister said when the government has the courage to face all types of criticism from Geo News, why it will opt to block its sports channel. At the same time, she pointed out that the government could not allow any channel to violate the rules.
The minister requested the Speaker to constitute a House Committee to look into the matters regarding non-payment of dues by private channels, saying a number of channels are defaulter of billions of rupees of the government. “The committee can also look into the matter of violation of rules by any TV channel,” she said.
She said the present government not only believes in the freedom of the press but is also ensuring it with its deeds. It has pursued a free media policy during its three years tenure and has never imposed sanctions against any media house. She said Pemra issued 80 licences for TV channels of which 67 are fully operational today. She said Pemra only regulates the functions of these channels under the rules and never takes any action to stop transmission of any private channel.
Source: The News
Date:4/13/2011
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