ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani on Friday said that one-sided accountability would not work.
Calling for across-the-board accountability while speaking on the floor of the House, the PPP leader asked if “politicians were the only corrupt people in society”.
“One-sided accountability will not work in Pakistan. Politicians are not the only ones who are corrupt, unfortunately, everyone in society including myself is corrupt. If there is to be accountability let there be across-the-board accountability. Let the judiciary be accountable let the civil and military bureaucracy be accountable. But for this we are not ready,” he said.
He called for federal accountability commission comprising all stakeholders to be constituted.
“NAB would be a subordinate of this commission which would decide if a reference had to be filed,” he said. “If you want society to improve and eliminate corruption, the root cause needs to be addressed,” he added.
Rabbani also critcised the government with regards to the row between Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.
Sanjrani had previously barred Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry from attending the session until he tendered an apology to the opposition. On Thursday, Chaudhry quoted the prime minister as saying that “nobody has the right to disrespect any minister”.
Chaudhry said that the government will have to review its strategy if Sanjrani was unable to bring order to the House.
While referring to the incident, Rabbani said that no one could previously disrespect the Senate chairman and the National Assembly speaker.
“Now questions are raised on the Senate chairman,” he said.
“The prime minister is elected to the office through indirect votes of National Assembly members,” he said, adding, “I cannot accept this because they [prime minister, cabinet] would not destroy the constitution like this.”
