- Dar urges political parties to stand united for evolving economic agenda for years ahead
Federal Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Senator Ishaq Dar on Wednesday categorically said that the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was not creating any hindrance in proceedings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
“I am fasting and Almighty Allah knows that neither he had created any hindrance in proceedings of JIT and nor refused any cooperation by departments working under his ministry,” he said while clarifying objections by the opposition members.
“I categorically reject these objections as there is no reason to bar any of the department under my ministry to cooperate in investigations,” he said. He said that the matter was subjudice and inquiry in on therefore, it does not suit to members to use this House as compound of the court.
He further said that certain steps by the JIT itself cast doubts among the people about its functioning. He said that the JIT was conducting a process and “we have all the respect for courts. It is also duty of the members that should avoid issuing verdicts on basis of news stories.”
He said that the PML-N always believed in supremacy of the constitution. “I would say categorically neither I have stopped any department from cooperating with JIT, nor I shall stop them in future,” he told the House.
In his concluding remarks in the National Assembly on passage of annual budget 2017-17, Senator Dar urged all political parties to stand united for evolving national economic agenda for years ahead. “Whoever is in the government does not matter what matters is to have a common and unanimous economic agenda for the nation,” he said.
He called upon the opposition parties to sit together with the government to prepare such an agenda which enjoys support of all political parties and was continuously implemented whose ever tenure was in the government. In his thanksgiving comments, he said it was an honour that his government had presented the fifth budget and it was due to vision, decision making and determination of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the country had been put on sound economic footing.
“We have achieved macro-economic stability in the country and now we are on way to achieve targets of emerging global economy as well as safer destination for investment,” he said, adding that the government remains committed to further accelerate economic development to meet future challenges and would like to steer ahead in consultation with the political stakeholders.
The minister thanked cooperation by Chairman Raza Rabbani and Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and members of the Senate and the National Assembly for successfully completing the budget process. He also thanked the employees from both the houses and the line ministries who had performed duties during the budget session and announced honorarium equivalent to four basic salaries for the employees of all departments who performed duties during the budget session.
He requested the chairman and the speaker to pursue the process of payment of honorarium. The speaker clarified that in case of non-payment of honorarium by any ministry, it would be considered breach of privilege of the House.
Expressing his point of view, Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that the Qatar-Gulf crisis was very dangerous and that the ban on Qatar was an attempt to divide the Muslims. He spoke against the recently-held Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Saudi Arabia, presided over by US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should have taken the parliament into confidence on his visit to Saudi Arabia, he suggested. He said that he was sure that at the summit, the prime minister while representing Pakistan would have talked about the Islamic world and different issues confronting by it, including those of Yemen, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt.
He said that the prime minister would have also talked about Pakistan’s role in the elimination of terrorism and unmatchable sacrifices it rendered in the war against terrorism but he was intentionally denied the chance. At the summit, the American president did not speak about India’s interference in Pakistan and tried to prove India innocent, while at the same he indirectly tried to blame Pakistan.
He said that Qatar ‘always’ stood with Pakistan and supported its economy. He regretted that at a time when other nations and countries were opening borders for each other, Muslim countries were closing these for each other. Shah spoke about the apprehensions expressed by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) appointed by the Supreme Court on Panama Papers case.
He said that the budget 2017-18 had been passed and his party did not create any problem for the finance minister. Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi while referring to the JIT report alleged that efforts were being made to run away from the inquiry and that was why hurdles were being created in JIT’s way.
