Zardari asks govt to rein in NAB ‘for its own sake’

If country continues to be governed with flawed policies than no one can save us, says PPP co-chairman

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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Zardari has said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman should appear before parliament to answer questions related to cases against politicians rather than the other way round.

Taking the National Assembly floor on Monday at the beginning of a new parliamentary session, Zardari questioned why politicians are asked to appear before NAB when it should be vice versa.

“It is not just in the interest of PPP but also you [to keep a check on NAB with regard to cases against politicians],” the former president told the government, adding, “I have seen many NABs; have appeared before it in the past and will appear before it in future; but I am concerned about you.”

“I recommend the government to rein in NAB so that the country’s [affairs] can be run,” he added.



Vowing to continue working for democracy, he said it is incumbent on political leaders to keep fighting for democracy and respect for parliament. He said his party did not wish to see anyone’s mother or daughter, including former premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, being sent to jail.

Taking a jibe at young and inexperienced treasury members, Zardari said he is also ready to train them to ask and answer the right questions in the house. “[Water Resources Minister Faisal] Vawda may not have anything to do with water or dams but it would be good if he comes prepared [to parliament].”

He also implored the government to take serious steps to improve the economy, but added that the current state of affairs and government’s ‘haphazard decisions’ are worrying. Zardari said his party would not try to topple the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which is getting weak by the day.

“The PTI government would collapse on its own.  I don’t know how long the government formed through borrowed votes would survive,” he said in a reference to the PTI government’s number of seats in the house.

Shehbaz questions dam deal

Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif also addressed the house and demanded re-bidding for construction of the Rs309 billion Mohmand dam. The dam’s contract is reportedly set to be awarded to a joint venture comprising a Chinese firm and a company linked with PM’s Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood.

"There are now huge questions on financial transparency of the project," said Shehbaz, who is also the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president. He said the bidding process was started by the PML-N government but it is the PTI government that awarded the controversial contract.

"PPRA [Public Procurement Regulatory Authority] allows single bid but dam construction can take five to six years so why there was this urgency in awarding the contract? The process could have been re-started," he said. "Skies won't fall in case of re-bidding. It's a matter of Rs309 billion."



Shehbaz said a power crisis was at its peak and millions of people were getting unemployed when the PML-N came into power. No single government can be held responsible for the situation, he said.

"We resolved the load shedding crisis on the war footing, set up three LNG projects and laid the foundation for the fourth one. We saved Rs160 billion of the national exchequer," he added.

Shehbaz warned that the energy crisis is once again hitting the nation. "This is government's incompetence that it's providing expensive electricity from furnace oil and is not running gas power plants with 100 per cent productivity," he said. Shehbaz said the dam construction is the need of the hour, and it was during the PML-N government's tenure that Rs200 billion were allocated for dams

Vawda sees conspiracy

Responding to the leader of opposition, Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda said Shehbaz Sharif’s demand for re-bidding on Mohmand dam’s contract is a conspiracy. The federal minister was addressing the NA after the opposition members walked out of the session.

“The opposition leader said that financial bid was awarded for the dam, however, it is still open. Shehbaz Sharif couldn't understand the PPRA rules as they were in English,” he added. Vawda said the country was looted with impunity while the project was on paper for 54 years.