Opposition, govt senators cross swords over NAB

ISLAMABAD: The opposition within the Senate came hard on the govt on Friday for the facility blackouts, rising inflation and gas crisis while the govt blamed the past government of the PML-N for of these problems and asserted that the on-going accountability would continue.

The treasury Senators objected to what they called the exaggeration of figures with regards to cost hike and inflation and insisted the govt was focused on the reforms in various sectors and had successfully faced the challenges of locust attack and coronavirus. They made it clear that the PDM narrative on inflation had did not bring people out.

Starting the talk , PPP parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman said that the whole country was facing an unprecedented gas crisis. There was a severe gas shortage, incompetence, cronyism and non-transparent transactions by a government that had neither done its homework nor was curious about governance.

“The inquiry being held is thru Nepra. If the appointments made in Nepra are by the federal , how can they ask the regulator to carry an inquiry over them? We reject this fake inquiry as obviously nothing will come of it and that i guarantee that after two and a half years, the govt will still say that we are in crisis due to the last regime. they're going to not explain why the facility sector is collapsing, why its circular debt has ballooned or why the country’s total debt has reached unprecedented proportions,” she noted.

She regretted that none was credibly answering key questions on what led to the breakdown of our power sector. The blackout we witnessed reminded us of the blackouts in wartime in mychildhood. Yet here, Tabahi Sarkar let this example continue for 3 days but we are yet to ascertain a response to the present within the Parliament. Who goes to require the responsibility for this?

Senator Sherry said that there’s a rise in gas supply demand every January. Why was this not addressed earlier? Capacity has got to be increased for households and industries. “If we glance at the rates of Brent crude, there's a transparent discrepancy in numbers. This fiasco could are avoided had there been some planning. the govt could have saved billions on spot LNG purchases had it bought future contracts in summer when the costs for winter delivery were at their lowest,” she added.

She continued that thanks to the unprecedented mismanagement, our circular debt was rising. Power sector was being run on a billboard hoc basis. Ministries concerned are busy targeting the opposition rather than doing their jobs. Governance isn't a child’s play. Doing talk shows and selling their false narratives don't equate to running the country.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that the govt was ready for any quite reforms but NRO wouldn't tend to anyone and therefore the accountability institutions would neither be locked and nor the keys be handed over to anyone.

Responding to the sooner speech of Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla, the adviser to PM, however, emphasized that firstly the position of the govt regarding answering questions by calling anyone in Parliament or its standing committees was clear from day one: they need full authority to call someone for conducting hearing and ask questions or seek record.

He said: “Secondly we should always reform the NAB law in Pakistan. Since this law was enacted, no attempt has been made to reform it in any previous government and only in Imran Khan’s government and an ordinance was promulgated. Unfortunately, the ordinance kept lying on a House committee and it died there, but none touched it”.

Babar Awan said that if the House took a choice objectively that the looted money from Pakistan would be brought back which nobody was above the law and no absconder would let live abroad, the accountability institutions wouldn't be allowed to be used for vengeance. “There are two objectives of the dialogue: the House should be run in accordance with the Constitution and therefore the institutions should work within their legal ambit. And for this, we are ready,” he remarked.

Babar Awan said that the govt gave confidence to the whole nation that it had issued an ordinance on accountability but this ordinance was strangled: What was the fault of the govt in this?

Senator Mandviwalla said was that the institutions weren't allowed to function and strengthen and therefore the present set-up of NAB —- its chairman, prosecutor and DGs ——- were appointed by the then leader of the house and leader of opposition.

He reiterated that the govt was ready for reforms, where there was an area for it but all would need to surrender before the courts and suits their orders and prove themselves innocent within the courts.

PPP Senator Dr Sikandar Mendhro said the answer to gas crisis lied in implementation of the Constitution and noted that gas availability in our country was: 66.2% in Sindh, 21.7% in Balochistan, 9.39% in KP and three .39% in Punjab. He said that the Constitution says that whichever province has gas, its need should be met first but still Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa get less gas than its production and Punjab gets much more gas.

Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub, in response to questions on the recent blackout within the country, said: “Lack of communication caused the 220,000 voltage line to land at zero and there was a voltage crisis. He explained that this had happened eight times within the last five years of the previous government and that we fixed it in eight hours while they took days to try to to so.

The previous government of PML-N, he noted, had left a mine and said this government was suffering the results of the incorrect planning done during the amount from 2013 to 2018. The minister contended that the payment of capacity which is an interest payment and has got to be paid in every case was Rs 185 billion in 2013; in 2018 the PML-N government increased it to Rs 468 billion.

The minister noted: “These landmines were left to us and therefore the first was the Rs 229 billion ‘mine’ that they left because they knew they might come to power and it might need to be filled by subsequent government. the govt defused the mine by giving subsidies. The country was browsing a really difficult phase. I salute all the members of the federal cabinet who got the people out of trouble”.

He said that the people were suffering the results of the incorrect plan of the PML-N government the quantity of capacity payment will increase from Rs 807 billion to Rs 1,455 billion.

“The previous government installed the primary LNG terminal at 13.37 per cent and therefore the second at 11.62 per cent. we've no answer on why the costs of two identical items are different and for an equivalent reasons; they mortgaged the country,” he charged.

The minister alleged the Sindh chief minister comes and sits within the Council of Common Interests. He knows everything but still he goes out and speaks wrongly. About the strategy, he said that the govt was getting to auction 20 new blocks Friday. The previous governments didn't work on the new blocks. .

In his speech, Senator Saleem Mandviwala said that NAB had filed a reference on his request which he was fighting this war that NAB shouldn't be versus business.

The PPP Senator said that the NAB chairman had said that he was being blackmailed, the doors of the Senate were open on him, come and tell us, who was blackmailing him. He made it clear that he would continue his struggle to stay the NAB out of business otherwise it might be difficult to try to to business within the country.

He also clarified that he had no personal fight. “I don’t care if there are 10 cases against me, but the private businessmen within the country shouldn't be targeted by NAB,” he emphasised. He continued that it had been a wierd atmosphere that on Dec 29, the NAB Board released the news that a reference had been filed against such and such an individual and once they were contacted, they said that that they had not even filed a reference.

“I have received a replica of the reference and that i want an open trial. We prevented the FBR from entering people’s bank accounts with great difficulty. this is often what the NAB is doing today. The SBP is ‘helpless’ and that they say there's nothing we will do because it's come from NAB. we've to send the small print ,” he explained