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PML-Q concedes its past blunders
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Party MNAs deplore failure to restore judges, release AQ Khan
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The legislators of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q conceded in the National Assembly on Wednesday that their previous government had made blunders by sacking judges of the superior courts, arresting renowned scientist Dr AQ Khan and failing to turn parliament into a sovereign institution.
During the budget debate in the National Assembly, two legislators of the party, former minister of state Raza Hayat Hiraj and Sheikh Waqas Akram, made the confession regarding the blunders of the previous government of the Q-League, saying they felt embarrassment over the sacking of the judges and by arresting Dr AQ Khan.
In the same vein, they also taunted the coalition government for not fulfilling its promise to restore the judges to the position of November 2, 2007 and also for not showing the courage to impeach President Pervez Musharraf despite having the required numbers.
Sheikh Waqas Akram was more critical of the blunders of the past. "We feel embarrassed on the role of our party on the issue of the judiciary." Taking part in the debate, former minister of state in the Shaukat Aziz government, Raza Hayat Hiraj said his party accepted its mistake to sack the judges and that of arresting Dr AQ Khan. "But the question is why this government has still not restored the judges and even not yet released Dr AQ Khan," he added.
He said due to the mistakes made in the tenure of the previous government, people did not vote for them and now they were sitting on the opposition benches. He said it was also a fact that their prime minister (Shaukat Aziz) was powerless and urged that this government should make its premier strong.
Raza Hayat Hiraj also came hard on the budget, saying it was drafted by the same old bureaucracy. He said it was time to rectify the mistakes and move forward towards a stable democracy.
Sheikh Waqas Akram questioned why the present government had failed to rectify the blunders of the past. "We feel ashamed that we worked with those who committed the blunders and even faced the embarrassment of the NRO," he added.
He said the budget was an extension of the previous governments policies as all those bureaucrats who had been drafting the budgets for the government for the last five years were also in the same position.
Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that the coalition members were criticising the previous government but they were working with the team selected by the PML-Q government. "Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah, who ordered the operation in Lal Masjid, is still working in this government. Chairman FBR Abdullah Yousaf is still holding the post and if the government does not have the courage to remove them, it should stop accusing us," he added.
He asked the PPP and the PML-N to stop praising each other as time had come for practical steps to reduce the miseries of the poor and the common man of the country. He was of the view that reduction in subsidies would overburden the poor.
Taking part in the debate, Deputy Opposition Leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said the government had imposed Rs 400 billion taxes on the public, which would further increase their miseries. He proposed to the government to make the country an industrial state as agriculture, the backbone of the country's economy, had broken down and the country was importing the basic commodities today.
He appreciated the decision of dropping the Kalabagh Dam project and called for withdrawal of Rs 150 billion from Greater Thar Canal. He said the government should review the interest rate on loans.
He urged restoring the incentives given to the garment industry and repair of the Super Highway on a priority basis.Meanwhile, a noisy scene was created in the house during the speech of woman legislator of the PML-N Sheerin Khan,who responded to some of the remarks of Haider Abbas Rizvi.
PML-Q concedes its past blunders
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Party MNAs deplore failure to restore judges, release AQ Khan
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The legislators of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q conceded in the National Assembly on Wednesday that their previous government had made blunders by sacking judges of the superior courts, arresting renowned scientist Dr AQ Khan and failing to turn parliament into a sovereign institution.
During the budget debate in the National Assembly, two legislators of the party, former minister of state Raza Hayat Hiraj and Sheikh Waqas Akram, made the confession regarding the blunders of the previous government of the Q-League, saying they felt embarrassment over the sacking of the judges and by arresting Dr AQ Khan.
In the same vein, they also taunted the coalition government for not fulfilling its promise to restore the judges to the position of November 2, 2007 and also for not showing the courage to impeach President Pervez Musharraf despite having the required numbers.
Sheikh Waqas Akram was more critical of the blunders of the past. "We feel embarrassed on the role of our party on the issue of the judiciary." Taking part in the debate, former minister of state in the Shaukat Aziz government, Raza Hayat Hiraj said his party accepted its mistake to sack the judges and that of arresting Dr AQ Khan. "But the question is why this government has still not restored the judges and even not yet released Dr AQ Khan," he added.
He said due to the mistakes made in the tenure of the previous government, people did not vote for them and now they were sitting on the opposition benches. He said it was also a fact that their prime minister (Shaukat Aziz) was powerless and urged that this government should make its premier strong.
Raza Hayat Hiraj also came hard on the budget, saying it was drafted by the same old bureaucracy. He said it was time to rectify the mistakes and move forward towards a stable democracy.
Sheikh Waqas Akram questioned why the present government had failed to rectify the blunders of the past. "We feel ashamed that we worked with those who committed the blunders and even faced the embarrassment of the NRO," he added.
He said the budget was an extension of the previous governments policies as all those bureaucrats who had been drafting the budgets for the government for the last five years were also in the same position.
Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that the coalition members were criticising the previous government but they were working with the team selected by the PML-Q government. "Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah, who ordered the operation in Lal Masjid, is still working in this government. Chairman FBR Abdullah Yousaf is still holding the post and if the government does not have the courage to remove them, it should stop accusing us," he added.
He asked the PPP and the PML-N to stop praising each other as time had come for practical steps to reduce the miseries of the poor and the common man of the country. He was of the view that reduction in subsidies would overburden the poor.
Taking part in the debate, Deputy Opposition Leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said the government had imposed Rs 400 billion taxes on the public, which would further increase their miseries. He proposed to the government to make the country an industrial state as agriculture, the backbone of the country's economy, had broken down and the country was importing the basic commodities today.
He appreciated the decision of dropping the Kalabagh Dam project and called for withdrawal of Rs 150 billion from Greater Thar Canal. He said the government should review the interest rate on loans.
He urged restoring the incentives given to the garment industry and repair of the Super Highway on a priority basis.Meanwhile, a noisy scene was created in the house during the speech of woman legislator of the PML-N Sheerin Khan,who responded to some of the remarks of Haider Abbas Rizvi.
PML-Q concedes its past blunders
