The opposition members were protesting on the issue of foreign aid and an increase in electricity tariff but the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad prompted them to stage a token walkout from the House.
The members from all the opposition parties, including the PPP, MQM and PTI, left the House for a few minutes but they were not supported by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.
The PPP members, including Syed Naveed Qamar and Dr. Nafeesa Shah, questioned why the government was reluctant to disclose the name of the friendly country that had extended $1.5 billion assistance to Pakistan.
PTI chairman Imran Khan also apprehended that there might be some conditions attached to the financial assistance from a friendly country.
Imran Khan said it was the right of the parliamentarians to ask why dollars had been doled out to Pakistan. “Such gifts in the past have brought nothing but miseries for the country,” he said. He said in the 1980s, the Mujahideen were raised after should remain away from Sunni-Shia conflict, which is being enhanced internationally.
He regretted that no apology was sought by the Pakistan government from a foreign country for not allowing Sheikh Rashid Ahmad to go abroad. He recalled that similar treatment was also meted out to him and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Parliamentary Secretary for finance Rana Afzal Khan said doubts and suspicions should not be raised about the grant received from a friendly country. He said the friendly country has left it to the Pakistani government to decide the usage of this money.
He said finance minister Senator Ishaq Dar has already given a categorical statement on the floor of the House that Pakistan has no intention of interfering in the matters of any other country.
He clarified that there has been no raise in electricity tariffs rather fuel adjustment charges have been added to utility bills of the month of March.He said Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was not cleared for Canada visit under an agreement signed by the previous elected government.
However, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad disagreed with the information provided by the parliamentary secretary saying the record of the Foreign Office had been checked and there was no such agreement.
Federal minister for Kashmir affairs Chaudhry Birjees Tahir while responding to allegations of the opposition members said that during the tenure of PPP government foreign debts increased from $5,000 million to $14,000 million and the present government inherited a weak economy.
He said Sheikh Rashid Ahmad had said that he would resign from the National Assembly if the value of dollar comes down to Rs98. “Now that the US dollar has comes down to Rs97, he should to fulfil his promise,” he said
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad asked the opposition parties to stage a token walkout as his said the sanctity of the whole House was hurt when he was not allowed to leave for Canada. “Today such treatment has been meted out to me, tomorrow others too could face similar situation,” he said.
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