Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday lashed out at the government for arresting Maryam Nawaz, who was taken into custody earlier in the day by the National Accountability Bureau in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

The PPP leader staged protest in the National Assembly over Maryam Nawaz’s arrest. The opposition gathered in front of the speaker’s dais and a ruckus was created. Bilawal then walked out of the House along with the opposition. “The whole country needs to unite against Narendra Modi at the moment but selected Prime Minister Imran Khan is doing politics to satisfy his ego by arresting women,” Bilawal said while walking through the parliament corridor.

Earlier while condemning the arrest while speaking during the National Assembly session, Bilawal lamented that the country is witnessing ‘a new era of dictatorship’. “This government arrested an opposition leader, a woman. My family has been in politics for generations. We saw that a dictator Zia used to go after his political opponents. We are seeing a new era of dictatorship today, in Naya Pakistan,” he said. “History will remember that Imran Khan, who used to talk about justice, who told the youth of this country that he will deliver justice in his Naya Pakistan, without any conviction, arrested Maryam Nawaz,” he said, and called out Prime Minister Imran Khan, claiming that the leader has failed to deliver on his promise of justice.

Responding to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said Maryam Nawaz has been arrested on corruption charges. He said those who looted the national wealth will definitely be held accountable.

Earlier, Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar informed the National Assembly that the government will return over $10 billion foreign debt during the current fiscal year. Replying to various supplementary questions during question hour, the minister said the incumbent government returned $8.39 billion foreign debt from August 18, 2018, to June 30, 2019. He said the past government had obtained loans on the short-term basis during the last two years of its tenure which had to be returned. He said the foreign debt on August 18, 2018, was $73.1 billion.

To another question, he said debt-to-GDP ratio had exceeded the limit during the tenure of past government. However, he said, the incumbent government is making efforts to bring it down to the prescribed limit.

The National Assembly was informed that export enhancement package has been extended for another three years. Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce and Textile Aliya Hamza Malik told the House during question hour that the package will provide long-term policy to support and encourage non-traditional exports of the country. She said gas tariffs for LNG have been lowered for Punjab to bring it at par with other provinces to reduce cost of production.

Taking the floor, Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan said on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan cost of doing business is being reduced to facilitate the investors. He termed invisible regulatory in previous governments an impediment in reducing cost of doing business.

The House offered fateha for the departed souls who were martyred in bomb blast in Quetta three years ago, those who were martyred in cluster bombs attack in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and for three persons who died in River Chitral during the recent flash floods.

Amid rumpus, the deputy speaker adjourned the House till 11 am today (Friday).