Chairman Pakistan Steel Mills sacked

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday told the National Assembly that he had sacked Chairman Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), Moeen Aftab Sheikh, in the backdrop of media reports about corruption in the institution. I visited the office of Auditor General of Pakistan on Monday (August 17) where Chairman Public Accounts Committee, Ch Nisar Ali Khan was present and asked them that the government was ready to extend its support to strengthen the institution to uproot corruption from the country, he added. He said that he had further asked the AGP to start audit from the incumbent government and not from 10 to 15 years back. I asked AGP to start audit from the PM Secretariat, he added. The Prime Minister said that he had also ordered the Interior Ministry to launch an investigation against the Chairman PSM and sought the report as early as possible. He said that NA bodies particularly Public Accounts Committee should be empowered to take suo motu notice of any wrongdoing in the government institutions. He said that it would further strengthen the institutions and eliminate the corrupt elements in Pakistan. The Prime Minister said that population census was very important. For development programmes we need to know our population, the Prime Minister said adding that parliament seats would also be reconsidered after census. He said that the Federal Cabinet had already taken up the matter of census 'but NWFP had the reservations over conducting it in the province due to law and order situation; therefore we deferred the plan and would again consider it in the coming 3-4 months when peace would be established in the restive province. Speaking on a point of order after the Prime Ministers speech, PML-Q Parliamentary Leader Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat said that his party supported the move of the government to strengthen Auditor Generals office, Public Accounts Committee and other parliamentary bodies. As the Prime Minister has time and again asked parliamentarians to bring issues in the parliament for debate through proper procedure so that it could be made a supreme body, therefore now we have submitted an adjournment motion on corruption in government institutions and public sector corporations with the National Assembly Secretariat and hope that a detailed debate would be conducted in the House on the burning subject, he added. Faisal urged the Deputy Speaker to allow 8-10 hour-long debate on corruption, in the House. We hope that the government would feel no reluctance in holding such a debate in the National Assemblys current session and the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs had already promised the House for having a debate on corruption charges, he stated. The PML-Q lawmaker said that sacking of Chairman, Pakistan Steel was indicative that the news reports appearing in media carried factual contents and could not be labelled as hostile propaganda against the government. The sacking of Chairman Pakistan Steel by the Prime Minister means that there was something wrong in the corporation for which action has been taken, he observed. He said that now the ball was in the governments court to decide whether to hold debate on the issue of corruption or not. Speaking on a point of order, PML-Q MNA Sheikh Waqas Akram announced to form a parliamentary caucus against corruption. This caucus will strive to root out the menace of corruption from the country, he added. He said that the matter of the construction of a new city 'Zulfiqar Abad near Thattha should also be looked into. On that, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan assured the National Assembly that the contracts for the construction of the new city Zulfikarabad would be made open and transparent. He refuted the allegation that any contractor who was going to be awarded the contract was present in the meeting to discuss the construction of new city in Sindh in the name of the founder of PPP Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The National Assembly referred the bill on protection of children rights to 15-member select committee, which would be constituted by the Speaker. Dr Donya Aziz had presented the Protection of Rights of the children Bill-2009 in the House. She said that violence against children was a matter of grave concern, therefore, the bill be approved. The Minister of State for Law and Justice opposed it on technical grounds saying that the bill be put to debate. PML-Q MNA Attiya Inayatullah said that 8000 children were subjected to sexual assault during 2008. Therefore, the passage of this bill would ensure protection to children, she stressed. Khushbakht Shujaat said that it was a good bill but there was a need that it should be implemented with good intent. Sheikh Aftab, PML-N Chief Whip demanded stern action against those who used to make the children disabled forcibly to engage them in begging. Federal Minister for Tourism Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman said that the bill should be referred to the Council for Islamic Ideology for consideration. Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Babar Awan said that report on the murder of religious scholar Allama Ali Sher Haidri would be presented in the National Assembly within two days. Responding to a point of order, the minister termed the killing of Allama Haidri as 'tragic murder, adding that he would inform the House after talking to the concerned persons in two days. Strongly condemning the assassination of Haidri, Minister for Tourism Maulana Atta raised the point to bring the report in the House. Minister for Interior Rehman Malik said the investigation report into the murder of renowned religious leader Allama Ali Sher Haidri would be presented before National Assembly, which he said took place as a result of an old enmity, as per preliminary investigation. He said that the murder had ignited law and order situation that had prompted the Interior Ministry to deploy Rangers in Khairpur city. 'However, now the situation has been controlled, he said. Commenting on the Opposition members views on increasing corruption in the country, he said the NA standing committees could not only probe any such activity but they were also powerful enough to question anyone in this regard. Rehman Malik said that he had directed the police authorities as well as the law enforcement agencies to respond positively to the call of the standing committee, adding that the ministry would extend all possible support in filing of a case against the people responsible and bring them before the court of law.