Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar Tuesday demanded the government to form a parliamentary committee to probe corruption charges across the board, saying top government servants looted the country and the people raised voices against politicians only.

On a point of order, he said 70 percent commercial plazas and expensive houses in the federal capital were owned by top bureaucrats.

He said late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was right who sacked 70 corrupt bureaucrats. “Why the same procedure was not adopted afterwards,” he asked. He requested for formation of a parliamentary committee to probe corruption cases in FATA.

Reacting to the lawmaker’s statement, PPP MNA Ayaz Somroo said, “Today is a special day as the ruling party has raised voice against corruption.”

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Tuesday passed a resolution moved by Khalida Mansoor urging the government to take steps for early construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam.

In the second resolution moved by Lal Chand Malhi, the House asked the government to take immediate steps to stop forced conversions and marriages of women belonging to minorities.

In a separate resolution, the House asked the government to rename Swat Airport as Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi Shaheed Airport in view of his efforts and sacrifices for Swat.

The National Assembly was also told that the federal government was working in cooperation with the provincial governments to check menace of spurious and substandard medicines.

Earlier on a point of order, Awami National Party (ANP)’s parliamentary leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour staged a walkout of the House over “ignoring” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-related projects.

He said his party supported the project but injustices were carried out with the province. The PTI, JI, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and FATA members also walked out of the House.

Responding to Bilour, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Barjees Tahir said the China-Pakistan Economic-Corridor was not any province specific but was for the whole country. He rejected the impression that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been ignored in the mega project. He once again made it clear that CPEC would benefit all the provinces including Gilgit-Baltistan.