ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior leader and former premier, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Tuesday, said the government should inform the parliament that who has asked Pakistan for provision of its military bases.
"Parliament should be briefed that who has demanded from Pakistan to give its bases and for which purpose provision of bases were demanded," Abbasi said, while talking to reporters after appearing before an Accountability Court in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case.
To a question about impact of Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement that Pakistan would not provide its bases to the US, he said that "so far, we do not know whether the US has asked Pakistan for provision of military bases or not."
First, this questioned should be answered, he said, adding that during the last 74 years, only dictators had given Pakistani bases to foreign countries.
He said the government should also inform the parliament about the agreements made with the US. Whether Pakistan is still bound to provide air and land communication to the US under these agreements or not? he asked.
Abbasi said that now efforts were being made to obtain the record of the past 20 years through an amendment in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.
"Politicians are ready to provide record of the past 20 years and I have provided record of the past 35 years but the amendment in the law should be applied to every Pakistani whether he is in the parliament, in army, a judge and a government employee or anyone who receives salary from the government of Pakistan then you will know that which kind of law is being made," he said.
Abbasi said the amended law would be used only against politicians.
The PML-N leader said the NAB cases should be made against the present government ministers who had destroyed the energy sector of the country.
"The LNG terminal over which a case has been made against me, to be closed for five days in the next week but the federal cabinet decided twice that they could not close the terminal as its closure will lead to a power shutdown in the country," he said.
The PML-N leader said that out of 21,000 to 22,000 megawatts of electricity is currently being produced in Pakistan, 60 percent had been installed by former premier Nawaz Sharif and 40 percent run through LNG.
He said that electricity was being generated from diesel and furnace oil in the country.
According to a State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)'s report, during three years, LNG had made a profit of Rs234 billion in terms of electricity, he said.
He further said that some were going to Israel, India, Dubai, and Afghanistan but there was no one to take care of their own country.
"Please think about your own country," he said, adding that "we do not care about our own country; we care about Israel, Afghanistan, and the constitution of India."
To a question about reports of former special assistant Zulfi Bukhari's alleged visit to Israel, he said sarcastically that he had found out that Bukhari went to Israel to sell Ring Road plots.
To a query about Nawaz Sharif's return to the country, he said Sharif went to the UK for treatment and would return after completion of his medical treatment.
When he was asked that despite efforts of the opposition to send the government packing, the government is still intact, he said that the government was already in deep trouble.
"They will go back on the way on which they had come," he said, adding that toppling a government according to the constitution was difficult in a country."
Earlier, he and other accused appeared before Accountability Court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan, in the LNG case.
During the hearing, Abbasi's counsel Barrister Zafar Ullah Khan cross-examined prosecution witness Syed Sajjid Raza, chief manager Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL).
To a question, the witness said he had no information regarding Mashal project.
"I joined the SSGCL in 1990," he said.
"This is in my knowledge that the SSGCL laid down gas pipeline for supply of RLNG from Karachi to Sawan. The pipeline transports RLNG from Karachi from tie-in point for the terminal of LNG. The capacity of this dedicated pipeline is 1200 mmcf."
At one stage, the witness said "he cannot say what the abbreviation mmcf stands for as I am confused."
During the hearing, Abbasi was continuously assisting his counsel.
He said he did not know how much charges/money the SSGCL goy from the supply of gas from the abovementioned pipeline.
The court adjourned hearing of the case till July 6, after Abbasi's counsel completed cross-examination of the witness.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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