Malik ready to resign if charges against him proven

ISLAMABAD: Refuting charges of misusing his authority for financial gain, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Wednesday that he will resign from his post if the accusations levelled against him by a local newspaper are proved.

Addressing a session of the National Assembly, Malik said that he has sent a defamation notice of Rs5 billion to the media outlet for publishing stories against him.

He called for the constitution of a committee to investigate the charge of him misusing his position in the government for the financial benefit of a company (that he is allegedly the chairman of), and added: “I had resigned from the chairmanship of my companies before I became a minister.”

“I can produce documentary proof that I have resigned from the company [in question],” he said.

The minister said he had to leave the country because of life threats to him and his family.

Meanwhile in the National Assembly, lawmakers said that the government should focus on health, education, sports and population welfare, and increase funds for these sectors.

MNA from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Imrana Saeed said that the decrease in budget in the health sector as well as a 50 per cent cut for the sports sector, are not justified.  “These are the two most important sectors and everywhere else in the world budgets for these sectors is increased,” she said.

Some lawmakers also demanded that the idea of a Value Added Tax system should be scrapped, arguing that it would lead to spiralling inflation.

During the debate, PPP member Abdul Wahid Soomro said that those talking about the construction of Kalabagh Dam are against the sovereignty of the country as three provincial assemblies have already rejected its construction.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 17^th,2010.