National Assembly session: Finger-pointing over rise in prices

With less attendance, MNAs resorted to tit-for-tat accusations.

ISLAMABAD:

What a difference a weekend can make. Far removed from the controversial topics of drones and electoral fraud, the National Assembly took to clashing over a time-tested and somewhat mundane topic: the increase in prices of commodities.

In what began as a quiet session, with both the opposition and government seemingly suffering the Monday blues, both sides took to holding each other responsible for “back-breaking” prices, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fired salvos at both the government and the opposition led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The PTI has already announced a protest rally by the end of this month over the issue.

The debate started, as per the decision of the House Business Advisory Committee, through a motion introduced by a government minister. However, there was hardly any other minister around to jot down the points and concerns raised by the opposition. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, once again, did not grace the proceedings.



PPP’s Shazia Marri was the first speaker to discuss the issue of commodity prices but she, instead, eulogised the party’s late chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The only pertinent thing she said about the subject was that prices of commodities had been increased by 200 per cent during the rule of the incumbent government. This prompted Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to ask the members not to deviate from the topic.

In response, PML-N’s Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh defended his government’s policies as he said the party “inherited from the previous regime” the law and order situation and budget deficit.

The PPP has left the economy in such a sorry state and we are trying to revive it but the job cannot be done overnight, he said. “Karachi, which has been hit by the worst law and order situation, has witnessed a turnaround and that happened due to the government’s policies.”

Emulating Marri, Mian Abdul Manan of the PML-N also praised his party leader, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and his economic policies. “Things are going to get better from December 11 when the European Union will give us the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status. It will give a boost to the textile industry and generate more jobs,” he sanguinely said.

However, PTI’s Asad Umer said that the government had caused an unprecedented increase in prices of commodities.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2013.