Political confrontation: PPP cautions govt against ‘exhuming’ Swiss cases

Finance minister apprises lawmakers of plan to pay off circular debt by August 10.

ISLAMABAD:

Leader of opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah lashed out at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government on Friday for its move to reopen dormant graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari in Swiss courts.

The statement came a day after the government formed a two-member committee to probe into the Swiss cases records.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Shah expressed disappointment at the government’s move and reminded that the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government had not brought up any case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during its tenure.

“My neck is being squeezed and I fear my eyes will pop out. This could be dangerous,” Shah said, adding that authorities have been trying to dig out proof against President Zardari for the past 16 years but found nothing.



Meanwhile, he reiterated that the PPP would support any probe into the treason charges against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

“Go ahead and investigate him [Musharraf] for his November 3, 2007 actions if you want … we will support you,” Shah said. He voiced fear, however, that it would be difficult to prove the charges against the former president and might allow him a chance to leave the country for good.

The opposition leader said that unlike October 12, 1999, the Constitution was not suspended when Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, adding that punishing someone for the latter and not the former was like punishing someone for inflicting injury and pardoning him for murder.

Circular debt to be paid

Earlier during the National Assembly session, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar informed the house that the government was about to fulfill its promise of paying off Rs326 billion in circular debt.

Elaborating the plan, he said the banks would be paid Rs194 billion in cash and Rs128 billion in bonds. The remaining circular debt of Rs177 billion would be paid off by August 10, he said, adding that the government would do its best to pay off the debt before the aforementioned date.

“There will be a considerable decrease in load-shedding after the circular debt is paid off,” he claimed.

Dar also announced Ramazan package of Rs2 billion, adding that the amount would be used to subsidise basic commodities during the holy month.

The finance minister announced a bonus of two months’ salaries for the staff and officials of the NA for their extra work during the budget session.

He also laid out the details of the Rs1.4 trillion supplementary budget for fiscal 2012-13.The house approved the supplementary budget – which includes Rs999.6 billion for repaying domestic debt.

Parliamentary reporters boycotted the proceedings to protest the lay-offs by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Urdu Service in Pakistan. They maintained that the international news service was laying off its employees in contravention of the rules provided in its own constitution.

Information Minister Pervez Rashid and PML-N chief whip Aftab Ahmed Shaikh met with representatives of the reporters and convinced them to end the boycott. Rashid told the house that he would take up the issue with the BBC management and the British government.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2013.