Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Sunday came down hard on ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for amending National Accountability Bureau (NAB) through a presidential ordinance, saying all the change were made to protect PTI's 'cronies' involved in corruptions.
"In a bid to save its aides and cronies, the PTI introduced amendments in NAB ordinance so that whether it is the Malam Jabba case or the BRT case, their party members remain safe," said senior PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira told a presser here.
The ruling PTI made drastic changes in National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 through a presidential ordinance promulgated on Friday that would benefit not only politicians from across the aisle but also bureaucrats as well as the business community.
A day later, the majority of the amendments were taken back in view of growing criticism against what many critics described as a "mother of all NROs" to businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians.
Promising to bring in a new action plan, whereby "the government will be sent packing"; Kaira said that signs of worry can already be seen on the part of the government.
"The extent of their worry is such that when Zardari said on the floor of the House that NAB and the economy cannot run together, a lot of criticism was dished out when we said we want an amendment in the NAB laws, they accused us of seeking an NRO," he regretted.
Kaira said that the PPP told the government that its bill is ready for discussion in the Senate, adding the PTI not only refused, but also resorted to bad mouthing.
"The objectives behind bringing in the amendments now were evident. It is already clear what the fate of the opposition leaders is after the courts granted them bail in various cases," he added.
He said that with this amendment, NAB cannot hold the army, the judiciary, the government, their allies, the bureaucracy, and the traders accountable.
"Only two parties remain who will now be probed and NAB will narrow its scope of investigation around these," said the PPP leader, in a reference to his own party and PML-N.
"The sins of those who allied with Khan sahib or the powerful have been forgiven. How will Khan sahib explain this amendment now," he questioned.
Kaira said that people now say there is no one left in their ranks. "So who did he mean to point at when he said he is facing a lot of resistance?"
"He says he wants change but his efforts are being denounced. He also says the opposition is nothing and can do nothing. Then who is he referring to? Who is countering his efforts?" said Kaira, continuing to raise questions on the premier's remarks made during an awards ceremony of the Pakistan Stock Exchange held in Karachi on Friday.
"What actually stand in his way are his own broken promises and his unveiled secrets," said Kaira. He said that the "tsunami chant" the prime minister had loved to repeat during election campaigning "has come in the form of a plague and has drowned all schools of thought".
"So as a result, when the people are raising condemnations and exposing the lies from within the party's own rank and file there is a lot of frustration," said the PPP leader.
He also criticised the premier for having made the parliament "redundant". "When the parliament had to play its biggest role and when we were calling for legislation, they didn't want it then. Now an ordinance factory next to the parliament is legislating," he said, in criticism of the President House.
"PPP has always fought challenges and led from the front. Bilawal has already laid out a plan and has the resolve to face the challenges.
"Soon we will see Khan sahib make the final U-turn of his political career which will send him back from where he came," he declared.
Kaira also censured the administration for registering a "politically motivated FIR" against PPP workers for having allegedly raised objectionable slogans during the Liaquat Bagh rally held by the party on Friday to commemorate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto at the same venue.
He spoke of the time when slogans were raised against PPP but they demonstrated restraint. "We were patient even amid accusations of committing treason against the country. There were all sorts of false allegations but we continued to tolerate them."
While appreciating the "excellent arrangements" made by the administration, the PPP leader requested that they not act as the government's "instruments of deception" and withdraw the FIR.
"The youth only chanted slogans out of their political enthusiasm [...] they get carried away."
He said that there had been efforts throughout to prevent the PPP from holding a rally. "They [NAB] were sending the chairman notices, refusing to give permission to hold the rally. There were many excuses given." "But now that things have taken off, we won't be stopped," he concluded.
Comments
Comments are closed.