The treasury and opposition benches in the Senate on Tuesday called for a discussion on the State Bank of Pakistan's report on the national economy. Both sides contended on a series of points of order that the report either be debated in the House or referred to the Senate relevant standing committee. However, the Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro reserved his ruling on this subject.
Mahmood Ali and Anwar Bhinder fully supported opposition proposal for taking up the report on the floor of the House.
Khurshid Ahmed termed the report as "an alarming revelation" and said that the government stood exposed on its tall claims of turning around the economy.
He said that according to SBP report, during 2003-04, for low income groups, the inflation had reached a staggering 15 percent, compounding miseries of the labourers, daily wagers and low grade government employees.
Referring to 'fast and continuous' depreciation of the rupee against dollar, the MMA member said that it would add to the burden of foreign loans interest, and foreign investment would also suffer.
He demanded of the government to take corrective measures to put economy on the track of recovery. "Various aspects of the SBP report should be discussed in the House and if the government is not willing for it, the report be referred to the Senate standing committee for deliberations," the senator said.
Mahmood Ali and Bhinder said that the House should initiate debate on the report.
BNP (Mengal) Sanaullah Baloch, quoting statistics from the report, said that unemployment, corruption, inflation and price increase were rampant, belying the government claim on the state of economy. Instead of taking appropriate measures and drafting realistic policies, he alleged, the government was engaged in illegally and unconstitutionally amending the Constitution to perpetuate one-man rule. In this connection, he made mention of the 'dual office bill' passed by the Senate on Monday.
"There is a need to see the national security from a common man's point of view instead of military perspective," he asserted.
Due to wrong policies, the senator said, the government had not allowed six local and foreign companies' proposals for power generation in the wake of gas shortage.
He said that with continuous depreciation of rupee, the economy was witnessing immense pressure.
On a point of order, Allama Abbas Kumaili decried the authorities' decision to change the traditional route of mourning procession in Quetta, marking the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali. The procession is taken out on 21st of the holy month of Ramazan.
"There is a wave of anger among the people and in order to defuse the situation, the centuries-old route should be restored," he demanded.
Majlis-i-Amal's Hidayatullah Shah criticised the deletion of news bulletin on Pakistan Television in Arabic and demanded that the language be made compulsory in academic institutions.
Sajjad Bokhari of PPPP drew attention of the House towards the mushroom growth of auto workshops in G-8 sector of Islamabad, cautioning several unattended cars in the area could prove to be a security risk.
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