Opposition, treasury benches trade barbs over Maryam arrest

[ahlam1399]

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly witnessed furore for the second consecutive day on Friday as opposition and treasury benches traded barbs over the arrest of Maryam Nawaz by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).Speaking on a point of order, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Khawaja Asif alleged that political victimisation of opposition members was being carried out through “selective accountability”.“The NAB’s accountability process is solely for the Opposition,” he said. He said the PML-N fulfilled all its promises made to the people and strengthened the country’s economy. Responding to the allegations, Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood alleged the Sharif family was involved in money laundering and bought four of its flats in London with looted money. He added the Sharif family had business interests with an Indian businessman, adding the Sharif family had double standards and promoted a culture of patronage.He said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) would arrest those who were involved in corruption, and democracy was being used to protect criminal acts. He also attacked Asif, accusing him of being an Iqama holder and was getting paid every month as an adviser from a foreign country.Responding to points raised by Asif and Shahbaz Sharif, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan denied the allegations and insisted the judiciary was independent and the cases were not framed by the PTI government. They should pursue their cases in the courts of law rather in Parliament, he added.He urged the Opposition to utilise “this august house” only for the interest of general masses rather for their own interests. The minister said the opposition should explain in court why the detained people received billions of dollars from abroad. The government couldn’t answer for NAB, he added.While responding to the opposition members’ allegations that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was trying to distract the nation from the Kashmir issue, he recalled that Indian premier Narendra Modi had flown in to Pakistan on the occasion of former premier Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter’s wedding. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Raja Pervez Ashraf said the government should put aside its differences with the opposition and adopt a united stance in the face of the ongoing Kashmir crisis. He said it was high time to forge unity and show solidarity with the Kashmiri people.Ashraf said the government should continue its accountability process but it should not be based on political victimisation. He also lauded Hindu Council for installing a huge national flag in the hall of the National Assembly.Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal’s Asad Mehmood said the international community had already accepted Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory and the United Nations had also passed many resolutions on the issue.PTI’s Dr Ramesh Kumar called for setting up a parliamentary committee for direct talks with India over revoking Article 370 and 35-A. He also called for setting aside personal differences for larger national interests. Later, the house was prorogued sine die.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/8JM0kwwIepA

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