Opposition says govt has failed country on every front

ISLAMABAD: The opposition members in the National Assembly continued to target performance of the government saying the present regime failed the country on every front.

Taking part in debate on cut motions regarding Cabinet Division, the opposition’s parliamentarians including Ahsan Iqbal, Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, Shahida Rehmani and Dr Nafeesa Shah came harsh on the government for failing to deliver with huge size of the federal cabinet.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan rejected criticism of the opposition members saying the PTI government was paying for failures of past regimes.

The PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal negated claims of Prime Minister Imran Khan that there were no contradictions in his statements. “There is contradiction in every statement of Imran Khan whether it is about size of the cabinet or seeking loans from the IMF,” he said.

He said the prime minister before assuming power claimed that he would keep size of the cabinet at 15 members but to the contrary, he raised a huge cabinet.

He said that now the prime minister is saying that his cabinet is incompetent. “I say it is not cabinet but captain who is incompetent because it is he who picked ministers,” he said observing that the only objective of Imran Khan was to become prime minister and now he has no planning before him.

Ahsan Iqbal recalled the present government secured record loans in short period whereas the prime minister himself claimed that he would not take loans.

He alleged that the PTI government was following model of Soviet Union and not of state of Madina as being claimed by the prime minister. He said instead of arresting corrupt elements, the government registered FIR against the whole sugar industry.

Ms Shahida Rehmani of PPP went emotional during her speech while mentioning that her father and mother suffering from COVID-19 have been put on ventilators. “If anything happens with my parents, I will get FIR registered against the prime minister,” the PPP member while talking about federal government’s approach to control COVID-19 said. She questioned as to why the government removed name of Benazir Bhutto from the Benazir Income Supports Programme.

Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, while questioning size of the federal cabinet, said that selected people have out-numbered elected parliamentarians in the cabinet. Pointing out that the elected members whether they are ministers or not submit details of their assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan questioned whether non-elected advisers and special assistants are also answerable to any forum.

The House also witnessed exchange of harsh remarks between the PPP member Dr Nafeesa Shah and PTI parliamentarian Asma Hadeed when the former was asking the Minister for Aviation to tender resignation and apologise for giving misleading statement regarding PIA plane crash.

She said half of the federal cabinet should resign for poor performance saying that with their ridiculous statements, the prime minister and cabinet members had made the country a laughing stock in the world.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan while mentioning that Prime Minister Imran Khan directed for completion of inquiry into sugar scam in limited time questioned whether Nawaz Sharif during his three regimes, took action against any of his party workers. He said as to which kind of Asian Tiger, Nawaz Sharif left, which could not move forward. “We might have averted lockdown had the past regimes left the national economy in good shape,” he said.

Ali Muhammad Khan said that the opposition leaders should not blame the PTI government for actions of the NAB saying the NAB chairman was appointed by PML-N and PPP. He told House that Imran Khan presented himself for accountability and gave account of foreign exchange, which he brought from abroad.

Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar while dispelling an impression that the federal budget was prepared on the IMF dictation, said the FBR fell short of achieving tax collection targets to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were expecting to achieve tax collection target of Rs 4700 billion but it could not be done due to COVID-19 pandemic,” Hammad Azhar while responding to speeches of the opposition members on cut motions in the National Assembly said adding that all concerned departments were part of budget making process.

The Minister told the House that the Government so had returned 10 billion dollars loan and also paid off Rs 5000 billion as interest on loans.

He said that eight years prior to the present Government, the budget targets could not be achieved despite the fact there was no pandemic at that time.

Meanwhile, the PML-N parliamentarian Saad Waseem while taking part in debate on cut motions in demands for grants of the Ministry of Railways, demanded resignation of the Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad for trains accidents. “ The Prime Minister Imran Khan himself used to say that the Railways Minister should resign for trains accidents,” he said. Questioning as to where was the Railways Minister, the PML-N member, brought resignation of the minister in the House written on a member.

He quoted Imran Khan’s remarks which he used for Shaikh Rashid Ahmad which were expunged by the Speaker Asad Qaisar. “ How you can expunge these remarks which exist on video in every mobile phone,” he said.

Khawaja Saad Rafique said as Railways Minister he brought much improvement in working of Railways in five years of the IMF Government but Railways was once going into deficit thanks to incompetency of the sitting minister.

He said in his five years, the Railways department earned revenue to the tune of Rs 32 billion while Shaikh Rashid Ahmad lost golden opportunity of earning Rs 7 billion per year in its revenue.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly on Friday approved 159 demands for grants of different ministries and departments. The remaining 31 demands for grants would presented before the House approval on Saturday.

Earlier, a total of 190 demands for grants worth over Rs 42.52 trillion were presented before the House.

Presented by Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar, these were related to Climate Change, Commerce Division, Communications Division, Pakistan Post, Defense Division, Survey of Pakistan, Economic Affairs Division, Power Division, Petroleum Division, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Foreign Affairs Division, Housing and Works Division, Human Rights Division, Information and Broadcasting Division, Information Technology and Telecommunication, Inter Provincial Coordination, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Division, Law and Justice Division, Federal Shariat Court, etc.