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Saturday, June 22, 2013
PPPP terms Nisar’s ultimatum to Sindh govt inappropriateBy Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: PPPP leader Senator Raza Rabbani on Friday said that the interior minister’s ultimatum to the Sindh government to control target killings in the province within a month was inappropriate and in violation of the constitution.
Speaking on a point of order in the Upper House of parliament, Senator Rabbani said such an ultimatum to an elected government was not appropriate and sets a dangerous precedent. He asked Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to come to the House and clarify his statement. The PPP leader argued that law and order was a provincial subject and the Sindh government has the mandate of the people.
“If some one tries to subvert the mandate of Sindh’s people, there will be serious consequences,” Rabbani warned. He also expressed concern over the PM Secretariat’s directives for collection of details of the government servants who were employed during the last five years. “It looks like the government is repeating the 1990s’ mistake,” he said. The PPPP leader said the PML-N government is unable to give employment to people and is only planning to expel those who were employed by the PPPP government. “If the government does it, we will contest the move in both houses seriously,” said Rabbani
He also raised the issue of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s cancellation of his visit to Pakistan due to the absence of a full-fledged foreign minister. He said that similar reservations have also been expressed by other foreign dignitaries and sought an explanation from the government. Mushahid Hussain Sayed also said that a part-time foreign minister cannot resolve important matters of the country at international fora. “It will have a negative impact on Pakistan’s image abroad,” he said.
Later, leader of the House, PML-N’s Senator Raja Zafarul Haque said that the situation in the country would deteriorate if law and order was not restored in Karachi. He also assured that he would ask the interior minister to clarify his ultimatum to the Sindh government. The government, he clarified, was reviewing the record of people who got employment in the PPPP tenure because the previous government had also appointed Tauqeer Sadiq as chairman of OGRA and whose case is in the court.
Senate Standing Committee on Finance Chairman Nasreen Jalil presented the recommendations of the committee on budget 2013-14. She said the committee has made 113 recommendations and majority of them were unanimous. However, he termed the budget as totally against the people’s expectation and welfare. The FBR, he said, has a list of 3.5 million people who are living a life of luxury and can be brought into the tax net. She said the committee has recommended withdrawal of the 1 percent increase in GST from 16% to 17%.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk