Fawad demands formation of parliamentary body on funds utilization by previous Govts

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday demanded that a parliamentary committee be formed on utilization of trillions of rupees of funds by the previous governments.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate, he said Rs 42 trillion were transferred to Balochistan in the last 10 years and a committee should be constituted to ascertain how these funds were utilized in the province.

He said those who were rulers in Balochistan, should be asked where all the money was utilized.

Fawad said poor people, those who were without blankets and bare foot and 25 million children out of school, should be given proper respect as injustice to them amounted to economic terrorism.

He said decorum of the House was important but he would talk about corruption and malpractices and Rs 700 billion which were laundered to just ten countries.

The minister said the government was left with no option but to seek financial aid from abroad to plug the gap of $ 18 billion of balance of payments deficit.

He said the Opposition wanted that nobody should talk about corruption and fake bank accounts.

He said when he talked about corruption and misuse of funds, the Opposition responded to, by talking about deprivation of their areas without telling how the funds were used in the past.

On the demand of the Information Minister, the Chairman Senate agreed to talk to leader of the house and Opposition in the Senate and Speaker National Assembly for formation of parliamentary committee on use of funds by the previous governments.

Fawad said conducting the proceedings of the Senate in an appropriate way was the responsibility of both Opposition and the government and Opposition should apologize for using improper words against the government.

He said leader of the opposition should take note of the words used by Senator Mushahidullah against the prime minister and the government.

He said the Senator or the leader of the opposition should tender apology on use of inappropriate language in the last session.

The minister said real issue was how the last government managed the affairs.

“How atmosphere of the House worsens, when I talk about corruption and fake accounts.”

He said it was discussed in the Supreme Court as to how lands of shrines were grabbed in the tenure of the last government.

Fawad said cases of corruption and fake accounts should be investigated and things should not be pushed under the carpet.”

The Chairman Senate told a committee has already been formed on the anonymous accounts.

After Senator Sherry Rehman raised the issue of reported killing and recovery of body of SP Tahir Khan Dawar, the minister stated that it was a serious incident and reports were coming about the incident.

“I have talked to the Secretary Interior and so far the incident of killing has not officially been confirmed. When we will get an official account, a detailed statement will be given in the House.”

Fawad said if the Opposition knew the details, then it should join the investigation into the incident.

Leader of the Opposition Raja Zafarul Haq said the issue was important and the incident happened outside Pakistan and reportedly the body was at Jalalabad consulate in Afghanistan.