GOVERNMENT NABBED!

Following the National Accountability Bureau’s announcement to publicise a position paper on rampant corruption in the country, ministers of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party criticised NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari for digging deep in the corruption cycle of the country and biting the hand that fed him.

Sources privy to developments in Wednesday’s cabinet meeting said PPP’s Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah and some others lamented that NAB chief Bokhari, who was appointed by the PPP, had turned on the very party by exposing corruption running rampant in national institutions.

The agitated ministers said it was impossible that corruption of Rs 6 billion to Rs 7 billion, as claimed by NAB, was being done in the country on a daily basis.

NAB on Wednesday announced to make public its “position paper” pertaining to corruption and embezzlement of the public exchequer due to “inefficiency and the lack of capacity” of the stakeholders concerned, which was resulting in theft of Rs 6 billion to Rs 7 billion on a daily basis.

“The NAB is in the process of preparing a position paper pertaining to the wastage of public exchequer due to inefficiency and the lack of capacity of the concerned stakeholders. This paper would be shared with the media on Friday, December 14, 2012,” a NAB spokesman said.

“It would not be out of place to highlight that since March 2012, under the Prevention Initiative, 173 projects at federal and provincial level were put to scrutiny by NAB carrying financial impact for Rs 1.475 trillion,” the spokesman added.

The Washington-based World Justice Project (WJP) said last month that Pakistan was the seventh most corrupt and the top-most insecure nation of a total of 97 countries assessed.

Also, an annual report by Transparency International (TI) released last Wednesday named Pakistan the 33rd most corrupt country, up nine ranks from the 42nd most corrupt country position it held in 2011.

Besides the commotion over corruption, the federal cabinet approved a bill seeking an increase of 11 reserved seats for minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.

Once the bill is passed, the total number of reserved seats for minorities in the National Assembly would increase from 10 to 14, one reserved seat would be increased each in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two in Punjab Assembly, while three seats would be increased in the Sindh Assembly. The bill would soon be tabled in parliament for approval.

The cabinet also discussed the issue of strike by CNG dealers and retailers that had hit the people hard. However, detailed deliberations could not be conducted due to the absence of Advisor to Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain.

“Most of the ministers belonging to the PML-Q raised the matter and recommended intervention by the prime minister to resolve the matter. They said the CNG sector was being targeted by Dr Asim Hussain who was pursuing his personal agenda. But as Dr Asim is abroad, Prime Minister Ashraf deferred the matter,” a source in the cabinet told Pakistan Today.

The cabinet also endorsed the stance adopted by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Wednesday and asked the Afghan government to refrain from levelling “unfounded accusations” against Pakistan.

Ashraf called “baseless” the allegations levelled by Afghanistan regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the attack on Afghan head of National Directorate of Security, and asked Kabul to provide “solid proof” of its claims.

The prime minister said Pakistan was heading towards general election and free, fair and transparent polls were vital for the continuity of democracy and for national progress and prosperity.

He said the government would provide all out support to the Election Commission of Pakistan for conducting transparent polls.

During the sitting, the cabinet reviewed status of implementation of cabinet’s decisions pertaining to Foreign Affairs and Human Resource Development divisions.

The cabinet was informed that 85 percent of its decisions had been implemented while the rest were in various stages of implementation.

The cabinet also confirmed the decisions taken by Cabinet Committee on Privatisation in its meeting held on November 8.

The Finance Division made a presentation on Consumer Price Index in the country to oversee/discuss the trend of prices of essential commodities.

The cabinet considered and accorded approval to the Cost and Management Accountants (Amendment) Bill 2012. It also accorded approval to the amendments in the Stock Exchanges (Corporatisation, Demutualisation and Integration) Act, 2012.

It also approved start of negotiations on draft Agreement of Mutual Cooperation in the Field of Justice Administration between the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tunisia and the Ministry of Law and Justice of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The cabinet accorded approval, in principle, for starting negotiation and signing of executive programme of the Agreement of Islamic Cooperation (2012-14) between Pakistan and Morocco.

An approval was also granted for signing an agreement on Scientific and Technological cooperation between Pakistan and the United Mexican States.

It considered and approved ratification of protocol on cooperation in the field of archives between the government of the Republic of Turkey and the government of Pakistan.

Talking to reporters later, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said issues concerned to the CNG sector would be resolved soon.

He said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) was an autonomous body and should resolve the CNG price issue as the Supreme Court had directed.

He said gas supply was affected in winter and such a situation arose every year where people had to face difficulties in its wake, he added.

To a question, the minister said OGRA could not be rolled back altogether, but it could be improved to deliver more efficiently.

Commenting on reports of corruption, Kaira said corruption was a worldwide phenomenon and the developing countries were grappling with the menace, therefore, the same was not restricted to Pakistan only.

He also rejected the allegations and impression that only the federal government was responsible for corruption, saying there were so many institutions having their own heads and four governments functioning in the country. Thus, it would be unjustified to say that corruption took place due to the federal government only, he added.