Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah on Tuesday got infuriated over the allegations levelled by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan during a press conference.

Rejecting Khan’s allegations, Shah volunteered himself for accountability and asked the National Assembly speaker to form a committee consisting of only ruling party lawmakers and investigate his assets and properties. “I don’t have any investment in offshore companies,” Shah said. He said that allegations levelled against him by Khan were baseless. He said that Khan also levelled allegations against Senator Aitzaz Ahsan of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He asked for a response from the prime minister to the allegations levelled by Khan and said that he always worked for the well being of the people. “Khan said that I took benefits from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whenever I came close to him,” he said.

Criticising Khan, Shah said that interior minister’s statements were not up to the designation he was holding.

Shah said that Khan was waiting for his speech. He said that Khan accused him of blackmailing him and confronting his statements. He said the interior minister claimed that he had collected a lot of evidence against him and he would show this at an appropriate time. He asked Khan to make the evidence against him public. “I am a political worker and I came from the grass-root level. I cannot even think of corruption,” he said.

“My past and present is neat and clean and I present myself for accountability,” he said. Shah said he held several ministries in his political career and there was not a single case of corruption against him. He asked for constitution of a parliamentary committee for scrutiny of allegations levelled against him. He said he would quit the National Assembly if found guilty of any wrongdoing. The opposition leader claimed that the interior minister was pushing the prime minister into trouble. He said that Khan was very comfortable when Nawaz Sharif was in exile.

Earlier, the entire opposition except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) staged a walk out from the house over extension of the Customs Act 1969 to Malakand and Kohistan Districts.

On a calling attention notice, JI leader Sahibzada Tariqullah said that his party was ready to go to any extent if the Customs Act is not withdrawn. This was not related to Malakand Division; this was related to some car dealers who were involved in the business of non-customs paid vehicles. After a shutter down strike, there would be a wheel-jam strike. If the matter is not resolved, there would be a long march towards Islamabad. “If the demand is not met, all 10 MNAs from the Malakand Division will resign,” he warned.

Speaking on the occasion, All Pakistan Muslim League lawmaker Iftikharuddin walked out and the opposition followed him.

Parliamentary Secretary on the Ministry of Finance Rana Mohammad Afzal apprised the House that the Customs Act was extended to the aforementioned districts on the request of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. He said that Khattak met officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and sought action to stop the influx of non-custom paid vehicles to various districts. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government sent a request for extension of the Customs Act. Now the decision can be reviewed if the KP government sends a summary through the governor in this regard, the parliament secretary said.

The house was apprised of the rescue and rehabilitation activities in the northern areas and Gilgit-Baltistan after recent rains, land sliding and earthquake. Law Minister Zahid Hamid said that disaster management agencies were fully used to facilitate the people, provide food and open the key highways. He said that about 260 people died, 220 were injured and 2,700 houses were damaged from rains, land sliding and earthquake from March 9 to April 11. However, he said, the government had no plan to give cash compensation to the affected families.

The House witnessed the introduction of the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2016 (Amendment of Article 51), the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2016, the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2016, Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Bill 2016 and the Trade Organisations (Amendment) Bill 2016. The bills were referred to the relevant standing committees for further deliberations.

The House did not take up two motions for amendments to the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure and five resolutions.