Opposition lawmakers decry NAB's 'unlawful' actions

Senate deputy chairman asks NAB to formally inform house before summoning senators

ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers on Friday protested against the top graft-buster for 'targeting' members of opposition parties while also staging a walkout in protest against absence of Finance Minister Asad Umar who was supposed to brief the Senate about recent devaluation of the rupee.

As the Senate session started on Friday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Raja Zafarul Haq took the floor and condemned the recent arrest of the PML-N leaders – Saad Rafique and Salman Rafique- by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Referring to the recent news reports about NAB also initiating inquiries against a number of politicians including the PML-N leader Pir Sabir Shah, Haq said NAB has adopted a method of harassing politicians which is not permitted by the law.

"Names of people appear in the newspapers without being served any notice. Why are people being defamed without being given any chance to explain," he said, demanding that the National Assembly speaker issue production order of Saad Rafique so that he might attend the NA session.



Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla said NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal must formally inform the Senate Secretariat "in case the bureau summons any member of this august house for investigation".

Responding to a point of order, Mandviwalla said he would talk to NAB chairman in this regard. He said the senators had informed him that NAB has served them notices. The deputy chairman later referred the matter to the concerned standing committee to report back to house within seven days.

During the question hour, Law Minister Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem told the house that as many as 350,447 cases are pending in the Supreme Court and all provincial high courts across the country.

"The number of pending cases in the Supreme Court is 39,742. 165,800 cases are pending in the Lahore High Court, 91,548 in the Sindh High Court, 29,449 in the Peshawar High Court, 6,852 in the Balochistan High Court and 17,056 in the Islamabad High Court," he added.

To question, he said NAB on complaints of general public authorised inquiry against the management of the Eden Housing and Developers and others. During the proceedings, he said, accused Dr Muhammad Amjad, Anjum Amjad, Murtaza Amjad and Mustafa Amjad – all kin of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, did not join the probe and were later declared proclaimed offenders by a court.

He said NAB has seized all immovable properties of the accused persons to secure the interest of general public and appointed receiver of the said immovable properties.



NAB, the minister said, published advertisements in daily newspapers and uploaded application form on its website to facilitate the general public for submission of their claims without visiting NAB Office.

Devaluation of rupee

Responding to a calling Attention notice raised by Senator Sherry Rehman regarding record devaluation of Pakistan rupees against the US dollar, Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar said the price of dollar against rupee had been maintained artificially by spending $ 8 billion from foreign reserves.

"The government inherited worst economic situation and is making all out efforts to put it on right track," he said. He said in December 2017, rupee rate against the dollar was Rs104, in May 2018 it was Rs124 and in June 2018 it further jumped to Rs.129.

Unsatisfied by the state minister's reply and irked by the Finance Minister Asad Umar's absence, the opposition members staged a walkout. The minister could not complete his answer as Senator Ashok Kumar pointed out lack of quorum. Later, the house adjourned to meet again on Monday at 2:00 pm.

Earlier, as many as two reports of the standing committee on the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination regarding getting the WHO certification for the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Bill, 2018 were presented in the house.

The Standing Committee Chairman Mian Ateeq Shaikh presented both the reports.