Ready to resign if Imran sits in NA, offers Raja Riaz

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmad said Monday that he was ready to tender his resignation if former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan comes to attend the House proceedings.

Speaking in the NA, he said Imran Khan would have to be answerable for corruption in foreign funding. He regretted that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified 11 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians after they were seated by the speaker, but now those members were preparing to move the court against the notification.

Earlier, Minister for Human Rights Riaz Hussain Pirzada Monday called for promotions of military top brass on the basis of seniority. Speaking on the National Assembly floor, he said according to the Constitution, judges are promoted on the basis of their seniority. “The same should be done in case of promotion of Pakistan Army officers,” the veteran parliamentarian from the coalition government said on a point of order.

Federal Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, while citing a report, published recently by the Financial Times, about transfer of funds meant for charity to the PTI accounts, demanded the chair to give his ruling and constitute a special committee to look into the matter.

He said once the National Assembly special committee concludes its working, a joint committee of two houses, should be formed to take forward the issue. Ayaz Sadiq said the State Bank report and the scrutiny committee had already furnished their findings, disclosing funding for PTI from India and Israel. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), at the same time, should also be asked to start criminal proceedings with regard to foreign funding.

Chairman Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Noor Alam Afridi strongly protested increase in diesel prices, and asked deputy speaker to summon Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in the house for an explanation. He pointed out that diesel was consumed by farmers and transporters and raise in its price would hit directly the common man.

He said the finance minister had proved a complete failure; he could not run the national economy and he should sell toffees now. Noor Alam said fuel adjustment charges should not be received from consumers of provinces where water reservoirs are located.

During question hour, Mohsin Dawar, on not getting reply to a question from the Supreme Court regarding establishment of model courts, said usually no reply comes from there. “I ask whether Supreme Court considers itself superior to the Parliament,” he asked.

The House passed the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Bill, 2022, a law to provide protection to a person during custody from all acts of torture perpetrated by the public officials.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly was informed that electricity service cables from pole to meter in most of the urban areas are in good working conditions to limit the theft and losses within permissible limits.

Responding to a question during the question hour, Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Rana Iradat Sharif Khan said independent cables are installed to each individual connection. He said in some cases, problems were there in remote and rural areas where service to service connections are installed.

He said aerial bundled cables are now being installed in theft prone areas to counter direct hooking as well as for ensuring safety. He said in narrow streets where cables cannot be secured properly, four-core cables are being installed after removal of individual cables.

The parliamentary secretary said the power distribution companies are focusing to properly secure and improve the distribution system cables.

Answering a question, he said the cost of free supply of electricity to employees was borne by the power distribution companies concerned. Replying to a question, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said that 2,390 Pakistanis prisoners were released or deported from Saudi jails in last three years, while another 426 were released from the United States in the same period.