Success of budget sends opposition in jitters: Durrani

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani on Thursday said that success of new fiscal budget has unnerved the opposition which is now indulging in a gimmick of filing a reference against the Prime Minister.
Addressing a joint press conference here along with Federal Minister for Privatisation Zahid Hamid and State Minister for Finance Omer Ayub Khan, the Minister for Information said that there was time when common man used to get panicky at the time of announcement of a budget.
"But the budget for 2007-08 has proved its worth due to the relief and joy it has provided to various segments of society," he added. He said the success of the budget mounted unprecedented pressure on the opposition and they have started behaving in strange ways.
Their nervousness is evident from the reference they filed with the Speaker of the Nationnal Assembly against the Prime Minister, he added. The minister said the contents of the reference clearly manifest their usual negative behaviour, lack of constructive thoughts and unreasonable attitude.
Durrani said the two main issues the opposition has cited in the reference ie Steel Mill privatisation and stock market crash, had already been clarified before the people. He outrightly rejected involvement of government in crash of stock market by stating that everything was evident. The minister said the contents of reference were devoid of any substance and pointed out that today the stock market of the country was thriving and it was a result of the continuity of government's sagacious policies.
He said the countrymen were judicious in rejecting such distortion of facts by the opposition in the past and would do the same now and in future. They came up with the reference because they find no issue in the current fiscal budget which they could exploit, he added.
The minister said the government has every right to expose mistakes committed by the opposition. He urged the opposition parties to shun speculation about the dissolution of present assemblies. "They should concentrate on the upcoming elections and start preparations instead of banking on irrelevant things," he added.
The minister emphasised that elections would be held according to the constitution and on time in accordance with the constitutional requirements. Minister for Finance Omar Ayub on the occasion said that opposition was suffering from 'selective amnesia' and their intellectual bankruptcy was leading them to complete dishonesty.
He said the contents of the opposition reference did not contain even an iota of truth. Omar Ayub said senate standing committee and its sub-committee and experts from Diligence and Co-operative company had submitted facts about the crash of stock market.
To a question he replied that the then Chairman SSCP Tariq Hassan before meeting Prime Minister in 2004, had already tendered resignation.
Federal Minister for Privatisation and Investment Zahid Hamid replying to questions said Steel Mill privatisation was originally done in March 29, 1997 and approved by the Council of Common Interest.
The Supreme Court was informed that CII was reconstituted again. He rejected that then Minister for Privatisation Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was sent on leave and said the fact was that he had completed his term. He said Supreme Court during the hearing of the case and also in its verdict did not blame any government official.