'Govt's economic team consists of Mush people'

ISLAMABAD With a storming speech of PML-Q Parliamentary Leader Faisal Saleh Hayat and Prime Ministers clarification on his own book, the National Assembly on Saturday while completing its budget debate has started discussion on the consideration of general recommendations made by the Senate. Taking part in the debate, Faisal offered incumbent Government to take some more people from the team of General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf to handle the situation, as Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Minster for Privatisation Senator Waqar Ahmad Khan had been a part of his team. He was of the view that the budget was prepared with the joint efforts of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Population. The results of these efforts are coming to the surface as people have started committing suicides, Faisal added. Coming down hard on the Prime Minister, he said the PM should avoid giving such statements or announcement which he could not implement. He added that a year before, Premier Gilani announced to abolish NAB but he could not do so. The Prime Minister earlier stated that the trial of Musharraf is not doable and now he says that the creator of NRO should also be tried. Such announcements are just for desk thumping in the House. If the Government wants to trial Musharraf and he is out of Pakistan, there are number of people available in Pakistan who were involved in the creation of NRO including the Interior Minister. The Government should go ahead, Faisal said. He said that the daily budget of the Prime Minister had been increased by 40 percent while Rs 3 million daily would be spent on the Prime Ministers visits in the coming year. He suggested the Government to privatise all those institutions which were running in loss. A committee in the chair of an apex court judge should be formed for the privatisation of these institutions, he recommended. Targeting Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Faisal announced to quit politics if the accusations which he had levelled against the Minister were proved wrong. He added that the Minister for Water and Power had sent a defamation notice to him some 9 months ago but he did not proceed further. I wish he proceeds against me in the court, Faisal said. The PML-Q central leader further said that the story of Raja Pervez Ashrafs house in abroad was published in a newspaper by an authentic reporter who had even written a book Chah-e-Yusuf se Sada for the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Gilani, however, said that he himself was the author of the book and it took five years to complete. He added that the reporter was from Siraiki belt and was his personal friend. The reporter writes in English and my book is written in Urdu language, Premier Gilani added. PML-N legislator Captain (Retd) Safdar warned that the country was going to become another Ethiopia in 2025. He said that the Government was not constructing any dam while India had stopped water supply to Pakistan. He added that Kashmir issue was also being ignored. Criticising Gohar Ayub and other family members of late dictator Ayub Khan, he said the people who were grown up in the lap of a military dictator were talking about rights of the people and voicing for the creation of Hazara province. Others who took part in the budget debate include Sheikh Salahuddin, Ijaz Virk, Ghazanfar Gull, and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Later the House started discussion on the considerations made by the Upper House. Marvi Memon opened the debate while Anusha Rehman, Raza Hayat Hiraj, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Nadeem Afzal Gondal and other legislators took part in the debate. However, the winding up of general discussion on the budget 2010-2011 by the Finance Minister in the National Assembly could not take place and now it is expected on Tuesday.

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