Opposition moves reference against Prime Minister

The combined opposition in the National Assembly on Thursday submitted a reference against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to the Speaker chamber challenging his membership of the Parliament.
The reference, signed by 31 opposition members from, PPPP, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and PML-N, stated that the Prime Minister is not eligible for Assembly membership under articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.
The reference against the Prime Minister is in response to the two references sent to the Election Commission on Wednesday by the Speaker against Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan.
The two-page reference states: "As a Prime Minster of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz is known to have engineered the Stock Exchange crash through his front man Arif Habib and others thereby enriched themselves at the cost of public at large through fraud, forgery and manipulation and which fact is also decipherable from statement of Tariq Hassan, the then chairman of SECP, the man appointed by Shaukat Aziz himself".
It further says "He doled away the most lucrative and strategic asset, 'Steel Mill' of Pakistan by approving its privatisation in the cabinet and then sending the Privatisation Minister on leave and giving additional charge to his blue eyed Minister Owais Ahmed Khan Leghari and getting the privatisation of Steel Mills finalised through him.
It adds that "the Supreme Court of Pakistan while setting aside the privatisation of 'Steel Mills' passed stricture against the whole process which judgement itself is sufficient to disqualify Shaukat Aziz as a member of National Assembly.
The Prime Minister thus stand disqualified by virtue of mandate contained in article 62(d)(e) and (f)". The reference further states that "other disqualification's which he has incurred during his tenure as MNA/Prime Minister would be submitted at the time of adjudication of this reference for which we preserve our right to add in view of the decency and also keeping in view the supreme national interest such irrefutable charges will be unfurled against Shaukat Aziz".
The opposition members requested the Speaker to send the reference to the Election Commission in terms of article 63(2) read with Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly.
Addressing a news conference in Parliament cafeteria after filing the reference, opposition members Liaquat Baloch, Khurshid Shah and Khwaja Asif said that the Speaker is bound to forward the reference to the Election Commission within 30 days.
They demanded of the Speaker to send the reference against Shaukat Aziz with the same swiftness with which he sent the reference against Imran Khan to the Election Commission. They also hinted that references against other members of the treasury would be submitted to the Speaker.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Speaker's chamber stated that the Speaker received the disqualification reference against the Prime Minister and forwarded it to the concerned National Assembly department for further action.
Dr Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs said that the reference would not affect the membership of Prime Minister as it has no substance.
Farooq Amjad Mir, a treasury member, said that the government and the opposition should avoid bringing references against each other as the Parliament is about to complete its term.