Legislators from across the political divide have voiced strong protest in National Assembly (NA) against rampant inflation, unprecedented load shedding and growing unemployment in the country.
Giving reply on a point of order from Sohail Mansoor of MQM, chief whip Syed Khurshid Shah said government policies are aimed at providing employment opportunities to the people rather than rendering them jobless. Government employees’ salaries were increased by 120 percent during our tenure, he added. “We can not remain completely cut off from the world. If the commodities prices are reduced at once, it will lead the economy to complete collapse, he stated.
The NA deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi said foreign debt matter is of vital significance. Both government and opposition should consider this issue seriously and present a report in this respect in the house.
Iqbal Muhammad Ali of MQM said on his point of order that employees were sacked from Steel Mills on the charges of theft. Employees of PWD were rendered jobless, he added.
Syed Khurshid Shah said MQM sacked the employees of steel mills on its own, as it was part of the then government. Why we are being blamed now, he added. We cannot reinstate the employees sacked in 1992 and 1997, he said.
Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of PML-N said 4000 kanal state land from his constituency was being occupied forcibly and this matter be given due consideration. CDA should tell if it was employee of government or of Bahria Town. Thousands of acres land is being occupied illegally and no one was there to stop land mafia, he added.
Syed Khurshid Shah said Supreme Court takes suo motu notice on every matter and it should also take such notice against land mafia.
Khurshid Godel of MQM said corruption was being practiced in bureaucracy circles. People of dual nationality were not only present in parliament but they were also present every where including media.
Rising on his point of order, Jamshed Dasti of PPP said that principal secretary to Prime Minister was not giving any importance to us. MNAs are being degraded due to PM Raja Pervez Ashraf, he added. We will not tolerate insult of parliamentarians, he held.
Raza Hayat, MNA said the dual nationality holder could not be loyal to his country, as he had taken oath of protection of defence of the country of his dual nationality.
Federal Minister Sheikh Waqas Akram said he had pointed out three years earlier that armed militants of Uzbak Islamic Movement were accompanying the chief of a defunct outfit but no attention was paid to this matter. As to why the sanctuaries of Uzbek terrorists are not dismantled, he added.
Abid Sher Ali of PML-N said the ongoing power and gas crisis was the largest ever terrorism. Efforts are underway to turn the country into barren land, he alleged. As to why no attention is being paid to this issue, he questioned.
He alleged that 80 billion rupees were spent on Benazir Income Support Program and if this amount was spent on overcoming power and gas crisis the prosperity would have come to the country.
It may be clarified in the parliament rather than in presidency as to why Iran-Pakistan gas project was scrapped, he said.
Replying to a call attention notice‚ Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah said that sixty items were auctioned in a US auction house worth millions of dollars.
He said under the 1970 UNESCO convention the items must be returned to the home country. He said negotiations are underway to resolve the issue.
Responding to a point of order‚ Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah told the House that it is a principle policy of the government that no government employee will be forced to leave the job. He said the government by taking historic steps regularized the services of one hundred and four thousand daily wages and contractual employees.
The Minister said the government increased the salaries of the government employees by one hundred and twenty percent during the last four and a half years.
Syed Khurshid Shah said the government through its prudent policies improved the economy of the country. He said the foreign remittances on Tuesday are 14 billion dollars which were 5.5 billion dollars in 2008.
The House observed one minute silence in memory of a Swedish social worker woman Bargeeta Almby who was killed in Lahore few days back. She served as social worker in Pakistan for about 39 years.
The House also offered Fateha for those martyred in different incidents of violence in the country.
The session was adjourned till 11:00 AM Wednesday.
