Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Wednesday sought briefing on the recent report of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted to the Supreme Court about 150 mega corruption scandals. Senator Azam Khan Swati of PTI on a point of public concern sought briefing from the departments concerned over the report of NAB what he said that the matter belonged to more than 180 million people of the country.
"This economical terrorism has brought the country to the brink of destruction," he said. "The house should be briefed who has looted this country," he said while giving reference to the report of NAB. He said that the bureau had produced a list of such people involved in corruption scandals and perhaps it would release another list. He said that the house should be briefed about which ruler of this country was involved in this loot and plunder.
Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani remarked that the matter was pending before the Supreme Court and thus sub judice. He said that lawmaker could use other parliamentary instruments to get information on the issue. Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed of PML-Q pointed out that scholarships of some foreign countries given to Pakistan were either being awarded to the blue-eyed people or family members of the bureaucracy or these used to lapse because the official red-tapism.
"In a recent meeting German Ambassador told me that some scholarships given by German government to Pakistan lapsed," he deplored and said that China had recently announced scholarships for Balochistan because of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. "There was a need to make this system transparent, such scholarships should be uploaded on the websites of the ministries concerned and an advertisement should be given in the national and local press," he suggested.
He said that this was a big scam while the chair remarked that this was the mother scam of all scams. Mushahid said that there was need to end favouritism culture in the award of such scholarships. Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq viewed that Economic Affairs Decision was the department concerned in this matter. The chair requested the members to help him identify such ministries connected with such scholarships. Later the chair made a special committee of eight members to oversee this issue of scholarships.
The government responding a public petition, submitted in the Upper House, informed the house that machine readable passport (PRP) system would start work from November1, 2015 at Pakistan Embassy in Manila, Philippines. However Noman Wazir of PTI viewed that the government should have a generalised policy about installation of MRP system at foreign missions abroad what he said this was fire fighting.
Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that the issue was important in the sense because some countries had denied issuing visas or entry from next year on manual and non-MRP passports. The house witnessed an exchange of harsh words between State Minister of Water and Power Abid Sher Ali and PTI lawmaker Noman Wazir Khattak when the former presenting a periodical report said that the hitting incident of passenger bus with electricity transmission line in Dadu took place because driver was hearing a call through phone.
"Fifteen people had died in the incident," Noman Wazir questioned, "What was the mistake of driver as bus hit the transmission line from upside". However, state minister said that the probe shows that some luggage of dowry had been loaded on the rooftop of the bus and as a result of this the bus hit the line.
He said that height of the line was according to international standards and heads of all distribution companies had been directed to avoid such incidents in future. Noman Wazir responded that the minister did not know the technical matters because wires start hanging loose because of heavy load. Wazir said that there should be difference between the TV talk show and the house and the minister should give answerers seriously and not in a non-professional manner. "We will walk out and will not be party of this exercise if the answer will be given in such a manner," he warned.
State Minister of Water and Power presenting different periodical reports said that there was eight hours load shedding in industrial sector after evening because there was no load shedding during Sehar and Iftar timings during Ramazan for domestic consumer. He said that 59 new grid stations were being established and transmission lines were being upgraded to overcome line losses. He said that forced load shedding was only on those feeders that were facing more than 50 percent losses. He said that there was six hours load shedding in urban areas and eight hours in rural areas. He concluded that Prime Minister had conveyed them to contact all four chief ministers to convince them that shops should be closed at 8pm and restaurants at 11pm to save energy.
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