Pak Parliament faces ‘rat crisis’

Islamabad, Oct. 24: Beset by Islamic militancy and economic woes, Pakistani legislators now face a new challenge, an infestation of rats which are chewing through electrical and telephone wires in Parliament.

The rodents are causing computer problems and terrifying members of Parliament, even distracting from the vital business of governing the nuclear-armed nation, officials and reports said on Friday. Parliament staff fought a "rat crisis" throughout a two-week closed-door sitting of the two Houses of Parliament in October focusing on the US-led "war on terror," influential English-language daily Dawn said.

"There had been instances when rats racing across the floor of the House made members jump off their seats," it said. "The experience has been particularly terrifying for female MPs and staff members." Parliamentary officials confirmed the infestation.

"The rats come down and cripple our computer network. Sometimes it becomes a problem to trace the affected wires," a parliamentary official said. The official said the rats had apparently found a "safe haven" in the false ceilings of the building.

"There are rat traps and sometimes we sprinkle rat poison but the problem is not yet over," the official added.

Parliament passed a unanimous resolution on Wednesday night calling for an "urgent review" of Pakistan’s anti-terror policy and for talks with Taliban militants who have havens in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. —AFP