Govt has taken bigger begging bowl: Khursheed

 

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Syed Khursheed Shah, on the government’s one-year performance, said on Friday that the government had taken up even a bigger begging bowl.
While kickstarting a debate on the budget in the lower house on Friday, he termed the one-year performance of the Nawaz Sharif-led government “poor” and gave it zero marks. The opposition leader described the budget documents as a jugglery of words and statistics.

He was more critical of the government for obtaining foreign loans at high interest, saying, rather than breaking the begging bowl, the government had raised the size of the begging bowl. “What the PPP government did not obtain in its five-year rule, the PML-N government obtained it in the form of foreign loans in their first year,” he said.

He said the finance minister had delivered a lengthy budget speech that made not only the parliamentarians worried but the media also who were guessing what was in the budget.He said every child was born in the country with a debt of Rs84,000 in comparison to Rs74,000 during the PPP’s tenure.He said the dictatorship and martial laws played havoc with the country as the people were still facing the outcome of the policies of dictators.

“One-man rule and dictatorships proved more destructive for the country. It is the beauty of parliament that we are sitting, making criticism that is being tolerated in the House,” he said while opening the budget debate in the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif kept the parliamentary tradition alive while sitting there during the speech of the opposition leader.The soft-spoken Khursheed Shah, in his speech that remained incomplete due to the Friday prayer and would now be completed on Monday evening, was more critical of the government in his usual soft tone rather than following the past practice of an aggressive tone of the previous opposition leaders.

The opposition leader said during its five-year tenure, the PPP-government was facing terrorism in Swat and faced unprecedented floods in 2010 but kept the prices of flour and sugar in control.

Criticising the economic policies of Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar in a soft tone, the opposition leader said Dar might have many arguments to reject the opposition’s point of view on the budget. He said that Dar could prove them wrong with arguments but if he would be asked to make a speech against the bill from his seat, Ishaq Dar would find out 1,000 faults in the budget. “I want to be his student as he could turn dirt into gold with his arguments,” he said in a lighter tone.

He taunted those who claimed to make a new Pakistan saying that some parties raised such slogans but they should know that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had given us already the gift of Pakistan and those claimed to make a new Pakistan should know it was already a reality.

The Leader of the Opposition, Syed Khursheed Shah, said that the budget should be in accordance with aspirations of the people. He suggested that inputs from the opposition should have been taken in preparation of the budget.

He pointed out that the government had fixed Rs2,475 billion as revenue collection target in the outgoing fiscal year but reduced it twice on the insistence of the IMF to Rs2,275 billion.He said the government had collected Rs1,950 billion till 30th May, 2014 and still needed Rs325 billion to achieve this target.

Shah stressed that the budget should focus on the deprived areas and improve the backward provinces to meet the requirements of the new concept of Federation after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

The leader of the opposition advocated for proper shares for the provinces. He appreciated the unprecedented legislation carried out in the House on Friday and criticised the government for poor performance on legislation in the first year. However, he hoped that performance of the government in this regard would be better next year.

He expressed serious reservations over the government’s issuance of the Euro Bond at a higher interest at 8 percent, saying, on the one hand, the government was claiming that the economy of the country was stabilising and, on the other hand, it was issuing the Euro Bonds with such a high interest that created confusion about the government’s policy. “The government claims to break the begging bowl but it has pushed the country into a stronger debt trap,” he observed.

Nov 3 actions were taken after PM, cabinet’s approval: Musharraf’s lawyer

ISLAMABAD: The lawyer representing former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in the treason case says his client took the 3 November 2007 actions after approval from the prime minister and federal cabinet.

Speaking to reporters outside the special court constituted to hear the treason case, Farogh Nasim said if Musharraf would not have implemented the directives of the prime minister constitutional complication could have arisen.

The three member special court heard Nasim’s arguments in response to prosecutor Akram Sheikh not proving the FIA report pertaining to 3 November 2007.

During proceedings, Nasim once called upon the court to use its authority and order the FIA to provide the report. Musharraf’s lawyer argued that the prosecution’s witnesses could not be cross-examined until the report was received, adding that if it could be provided to journalists why is it being hidden from the accused.

MEPCO staff taken hostage by power thieves at Munro

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) personnel have been taken hostage by area-residents for disconnecting illegal electricity connections.

According to the political administration at Fort Munro, area-residents enraged over the removal of ‘kundas’ (illegal connections) by MEPCO staff, have taken them hostage. The hostages include 17 members including one SDO. The MEPCO team was conducting a drive against electricity theft.

Source further add that the border military force has been called on, for securing the release of the MEPCO team.

Baby taken into hiding after attempted murder charge

LAHORE: Relatives of a nine-month old baby charged with attempted murder in Pakistan have taken him into hiding, one said on Tuesday.

Baby Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore last week, charged with attempted murder along with his father and grandfather after a mob protesting against gas cuts and price increases stoned police and gas company workers trying to collect overdue bills.


"Police are vindictive. Now they are trying to settle the issue on personal grounds, that's why I sent my grandson to Faisalabad for protection," the baby's grandfather, Muhammad Yasin, told Reuters.

The baby is on bail and due to appear at the next hearing on April 12 but Yasin said he was not sure if he would take him to court for the case.

"There is immense pressure on me from various corners," he said.

At his first appearance in court last week, Musa cried while his fingerprints were taken by a court official. Later, the baby sucked on a bottle of milk and tried to grab journalists' microphones as his grandfather spoke to the media.

"He does not even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly, how can he stone the police?" Yasin asked journalists at the court last Thursday.

The baby was apparently charged because an assistant sub-inspector complained in a crime report that Musa's whole family beaten him up and injured his head.

The provincial law minister, Rana Sanaullah Khan, told Reuters that the provincial chief minister had ordered an investigation into the charges against Musa. One policeman had been suspended, he said.

"He has directed police authorities to take action against the officials who booked the infant," he said.

 

Army taken into confidence on release of Taliban prisoners

 

ISLAMABAD: The Army has been taken into confidence on the release of Taliban prisoners, an important source attached to the talks told ‘The News’ here on Sunday.
The sources further said that all the institutions were working in line with the vision of the prime minister to ensure the success of the talks.They informed that the government had received a list of 400 Taliban prisoners. Out of these 400, the release of innocent and non-combatant prisoners had been initiated, the sources stated.

The sources denied that the government had handed over a list to the Taliban for the release of prisoners held by the outfit.They said that none of the two parties held “prisoners of war”. They elaborated that the Taliban abducted sons of Yousuf Raza Gilani and Salman Taseer, and Vice Chancellor Dr Ajmal for ransom. Likewise, the government held the wanted Taliban for creating a law and order situation. Therefore, nothing like an exchange of prisoners was under way, they clarified.

The release of non-combatant Taliban will be accompanied by the arrangement of meetings of the under arrest Taliban with the members of their families and those found innocent will be released on a case-to-case basis, the sources claimed.

It has been made clear to the Taliban that the government has no demand other than the establishment of peace and elimination of terrorism. If these demands of the government are met, the Taliban will be ensured the same rights as other peaceful citizens of the country.

The next phase of the government-Taliban talks will start within two or three days. More measures for building confidence and creating goodwill need to be taken.The decision to cease fire made by Taliban was a difficult one but they were told, “When you threw away the Kalashnikov, the prime minister closed F-16 in the garage.” With the assistance of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made impossible things possible despite facing opposition from institutions, Parliament, the cabinet and his own party.

It was for the first time in 12 years of war on terror that chances for peace increased, as in the initial phase of the talks, the Taliban leadership was told that the sons of important personalities should be released without ransom and they should not demand compensation from the government for killing Taliban.

The sources said that in a meeting of the talks committees of the government and Taliban, chaired by Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, it was decided to proceed in a cautious way for success of the next round of the negotiation process by doing away with misunderstandings.