ISLAMABAD - PTI leader Asad Umar yesterday told the National Assembly that it was a demand of justice and a constitutional responsibility to punish criminals.

The former finance minister said this in response to PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s speech wherein he asked the government to end the accountability and arrests, and move forward for the larger interest of the country.

Asad Umar also asked his party’s government to reconsider the increased tax on sugar and cooking oil in the federal budget. He also urged the PTI government to investigate the unusually sharp increase in the prices of sugar.

Later, responding to Zardari’s impressive speech to the house, the ruling party leader said that the former president wanted to end the system of accountability and arrests.

“If this pakkar dhakkar is being carried out for political revenge, it is neither good for the country nor for those seeking revenge... But the system of reward and punishment is the system of God,” he said.

“Our parliament has a constitutional responsibility that if a crime has been committed, if someone has stolen the country’s money, then there be a system of reward and punishment for it,” Asad added.

Earlier, addressing the National Assembly for the first time since his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau on June 10, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari warned the government of countrywide protests because of its unwise economic policies.

Participating in the budget sitting, on production order, he said the government and the opposition should sit together and discuss an economic policy “to move forward”.

Only a day before, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had offered the government to sign a “Charter of Economy” with the opposition to help the country get out of the tough situation.

Zardari entered the entered the house on Thursday wearing smile on his face and waving punch in the air. His son, MNA Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was present on the occasion, while his two daughters — Aseefa and Bakhtawar — were also seated in the NA gallery.

“Stop accountability and arrests and move forward for country,” Zardari said, mentioning that his arrest will not make any difference rather it will further strengthen his party.

Amid desk-thumping from his party, he warned the government of civil strife in the country if the government fails to control deteriorating economic situation.

“My arrest would only create fear among the common man,” he said, warning both the PTI government and “the forces who brought them into power” of serious repercussions of their unwise policies.

He also cautioned them to avoid taking steps that could trigger countrywide protest, saying that things could ultimately go out of anybody’s control.

“Such a situation would no longer be in control of political parties [too].... The ball will not be in our court then,” he forewarned, but at the same time he expressed the hope that the presumed anarchic situation would not be created in the country.

“Our [PPP’s] government after assuming power had not victimised politicians who served under the dictators,” he said.

He also thanked the chair for issuing his production order and those parties who raised voice for bringing him in the parliament to participate in the debate.

About the finance bill, Zardari said this government has not formulated this budget. “There is no truth that you [government] have made this budget,” he said, adding all sectors of economy were seeking relief after this budget. “With increase of salaries, taxes have also been imposed,” he said.

The proceedings of the national assembly continued for seven hours and ended due to lack of required strength in the house. PPP’s Agha Rafi Ullah pointed out quorum in the house and the chair immediately adjourned the proceedings due to lack of required numbers in the house.

PML-N’s Khwaja Saad Rafique, at the fag end of proceedings, also attended the proceedings on production order but did not participate in the debate.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also attended the house for nearly twenty minutes. He kept on smiling while the opposition members created rumpus during the speech of federal minister Ghulam Sarwar.

 

 

Asad on budget

Earlier, speaking on budget, former finance minister Asad Umar came up with mixed response on budgetary proposals. He asked the government to withdraw taxes on the essential commodities, but lauded the economic team for presenting a budget in a ‘difficult situation’.

He particularly opposed the proposal to impose tax on sugar and suggested to conduct inquiry into the recent hike in the price of this commodity. He also criticised the budgetary proposals about increase in taxes on edible oil and ghee, proposing that it needed to be withdrawn.

Asad also proposed his party’s government to increase pension in the head of (EOBI) by 10 to 15 percent.

“Government should consider doing away with zero rating for export industry,” he further suggested.

The former minister said that IMF was putting forward five conditions at the start of negotiations with Pakistan, as its team wanted to increase electricity and gas tariffs. He said the IMF team wanted raising the interest rate of banks from nine to fifteen percent and then to 22 percent gradually.

 

 

Other speakers

PPP’s Naveed Qamar, taking part in debate, said his party had taken the rein of government in tough conditions but amicably resolved the issues of masses.

“Often the previous ten years [of PPP and PML-N governments] are criticised for taking foreign loans and now this government is breaking all the previous records of taking loans,” he said.

PTI minister Shafqat Mehmood on his turn strongly criticised previous governments for introducing wrong economic policies in the country.

About the blame of fascism on PTI’s government, he shared the breakup of police encounters in the era of PML-N government. He said that as many as 216 people were killed in police encounters in 2011, 397 in 2012, 356 in 2013, 283 in 2014, 391 in 2015, 291 in 2016, 239 in 2017, and 239 in 2018.

He said the PML-N government had given advertisements worth millions to dummy newspapers in its era. Also, the PML-N government did not make any reasonable hospital in the country during their rule as their leader preferred medical treatment abroad, he commented.

Another PTI’s Minister Ghulam Sarwar said that the chair should not facilitate criminals to attend the proceedings on production order.

“Although this is discretion of Speaker National Assembly but those involved in looting the public money should not have been facilitated,” he commented, inviting rumpus from opposition members.

He recalled that PML-N leadership had sought apology from former president Pervez Musharraf and left the country after signing a deal. Sarwar appreciated the Prime Minister Imran Khan for making a Commission on foreign and domestic loans.

Earlier, PML-N’s Shaza Fatima Khawaja, on point of order, said there was a need to differentiate accountability and political vendetta. “This is unfair, the close relatives are not being allowed for weekly meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,” she said.