The National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges asked the State Bank officials Tuesday to direct all banks in the country to treat politicians and parliamentarians as ordinary citizens and grant them loans after following the due process of law. A meeting of the committee was held here in the chair of Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, MNA, in the Parliament House.
Discussing a privilege motion of PTI MNA Ghulam Sarwar Khan about non-provision of loans to parliamentarians by financial institutions and private banks, the committee chairman directed the State Bank officials to investigate the matter and then report back to the committee.
"It is not a crime to be a politician. Banks should grant loans to politicians as well if they are not defaulters and fulfil other legal requirements," the committee chairman said. The committee chairman said that two private banks had refused loans to two MNAs, Chaudhary Bilal Ahmed Virk of PML-N and Muhammad Ali Rashid of MQM, for being politicians and it is unwarranted.
Discussing another privilege motion of MNA Abid Raza regarding stopping him to travel abroad by an official at Allama Iqbal Airport, Lahore, the committee chairman has summoned secretary Civil Aviation and secretary interior in person on April 11 for their failure to investigate the issue.
The committee also directed the Allam Iqbal Airport management to present video footage of the incident in the next committee meeting to be held on April 11, so that responsibility of the matter should be fixed. The committee chairman said that stern action will be taken against secretary Civil Aviation and secretary interior if they failed to attend the next committee meeting. He said that it was duty of both the secretaries to fix responsibility in the matter through neutral investigation into it.
Abid Raza informed the committee members that he was stopped at the airport despite having valid passport and ticket.