Members of the opposition parties on Wednesday said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is being used to suppress them and this is resulting in deterioration of supremacy and sovereignty of the Parliament. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, PML-N lawmaker and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that his party is in favour of the accountability but it opposes victimisation of the politicians.
He suggested the accountability institutions to ensure transparency in investigations by rounding up members of the treasury benches too. He counted a few names too including Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi, and Babar Awan against whom the NAB inquiries are also pending.
Abbasi said the accountability should not be reduced to the media trial while urging the speaker National Assembly to protect the parliamentarians from coercion of changing their political loyalties through NAB cases.
He said the NAB has been keeping Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif in its physical custody through a court remand for 64 days but it has failed to prove anything against him.
Abbasi suggested the government to check assets and tax details of all the parliamentarians if it is really interested in accountability. Abbasi along with Shahbaz Sharif and PPP lawmakers Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar also demanded the speaker to issue production order of Khawaja Saad Rafique who was arrested by NAB in a housing society scam on Tuesday last.
PPP legislator Naveed Qamar said if the accountability process and arrest of the lawmakers continues at the current rate, the next sessions of the National Assembly would have to be held in Adiala Jail.
He said that purpose of the "Smear campaign" against the politicians is aimed at targeting their respect and integrity in the general public. Shahbaz Sharif termed the NAB's arrests as "witch-hunting in the name of accountability" while urging the speaker to issue production orders of Khawaja Saad Rafique.
Responding to all these points, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that NAB arrested Rafique after his bail was cancelled by the court, adding that his government has got nothing to do with the NAB as it is an autonomous institution.
He said the PTI government would not stop the accountability process as it is being done as per aspiration of the people. The minister informed the House that Prime Minister Imran Khan has constituted a task force under Law Minister Farogh Naseem to amend the NAB laws.
He said that people who were appointed as heads of SECP and the FBR in the previous PML-N government were involved in money laundering and corruption.
"The PTI has no right to rule if it fails to get the looted money back," he said, adding that fair and free accountability is being done for the first time in the history of Pakistan.
Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said that the PML-N members should also know as to what they have handed over to the PTI government, adding the country was facing $18.5 billion current accounts deficit and $95 billion loans when the PTI assumed the office.
He said the House should pass a resolution that the one who has stolen even a penny of this nation would not be pardoned. Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said that he has conducted a special forensic audit of all the projects in his ministry and recovered Rs 460 million looted wealth.
He said that at least 7 lawmakers of the opposition had sought NRO from him, adding that the government would pursue all corruption cases without any discrimination.
Taking part in the debate, PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf urged the government to develop a mechanism for the accountability as calling each other thief would not serve the purpose. Balochistan National Party chief Akhtar Mengal demanded across the board accountability.
Comments
Comments are closed.