The government on Thursday defended its plan of seeking International Monetary Fund (IMF) support for economic revival as Senators from opposition and treasury presented different option to help the country avoid Fund's assistance.
The Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his advisor on finance Shaukat Tarin assured the Senate that the government would not accept any harsh condition of the IMF. However, the opposition and treasury benches remained successful in getting off the Qadirpur gas field privatisation plan scrapped at least for the time being.
The senators from both sides of the divide took part in the debate as the house concluded its debate on the prevalent economic situation in the country. Some senators including Semeen Siddiqui of the PML castigated the government for ignoring the voice of the Senate. "The government has already taken its decision to go to the IMF. Our debate in the house is a futile exercise," she said.
Senator Safdar Abbasi warned the government that Pakistan was heading to 'debt trap'. "Nearly half the government revenues are spent on debt servicing. The debt servicing consumes around Rs 600 billion," he said. If this trend continued, nearly the entire revenue will be used for debt servicing in the near future.
Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli wanted more steps to salvage the economy. She proposed to set up a special fund to encourage overseas Pakistani to deposit the money in the fund. Senator Tahir Mashhadi expressed his anger over the quality of wheat available in the market. Senator Semeen Siddiqui and Talha Mahmood opposed proposed privatisation of Qadirpur Gas Field. Semeen Siddiqui said instead of privatising, the units could be given on lease for a certain period to generate revenue.
She said a loan of Rs 300 million has been sanctioned against Dadu Sugar Mills Sindh without fulfilling necessary requirements. She also sought amnesty for the people accused of transferring foreign currency abroad through illegal means if they bring back their money. Talha Mahmood said the government should privatise PIA and PSO which are going in loss.
Senator Professor Sajid Mir of the PML (N) came out with more practical approach. He said that the government should take stringent measures for bringing back the money, which has been transferred to the foreign countries in last six months. The responsible people must be brought to justice, he added.
He said that the government must restore the loans, which had been written off during the previous government. The recoveries of these loans must be started with immediate effect. He said the government should establish a forum of "Sons of Pakistan (SOP)" for replacing the forum of Friends of Pakistan (FOP). The government should convene a conference from SOP platform in which the expatriate Pakistanis should be encouraged to invest in their country, said Sajid Mir.
He said that according to some estimates Pakistanis are having an amount of $45 billion in the foreign banks. These Pakistanis include politicians, businessmen and others. They should be asked to deposit their money in Pakistan. It could help the country a lot, he said.
Earlier, senators from Balochistan urged the government to hold an inquiry and blacklist Husnain Cotex, a construction company, which they said has failed to complete roads' construction in Balochistan. Acting Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali referred the issue to the concerned committee and added Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) and other officials concerned should be summoned by the committee concerned by the first week of next month.
Senator Dr Ismail Buledi asked the government to take notice of the killing of one Mulla Saleem by Iranian security forces within fifty kilometers of Pakistani border. Senator Abbas Komeli asked for immediate recovery of Iranian diplomat who was abducted in Peshawar.
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