Azam Khan Swati Former Minister for Science and Technology belonging to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) on Tuesday described Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as "bogus" and alleged that it is nurturing corruption in the country.
In his first press conference after removal from his office, owing to corruption charges in Haj arrangements by the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the former minister said that he has collected more evidences of corruption in Haj arrangements, which will be presented before the Supreme Court on January 6, 2011. JUI-F's secretary general Abdul Ghafoor Haidri was also accompanied the former minister in the press conference.
Swati said that he wrote letters to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani about the alleged involvement of former Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi in Haj scam and also talked to them in person, but he added that they took no action. "I inform my chief executive of the corruption scam, but he turned a deaf ear to my suggestion," he added.
Swati said that the decision to cut down Rs 30 billion budget of the higher education to facilitate the BISP, benefiting handful people at the cost of the whole, adding that countries do not move forward on charities rather through advancements in science and technology and higher education.
To a question regarding in-house change in Balochistan Assembly, Haidery said that the party has yet to take decision on it, however, added that in-house change was a constitutional process and should not be objected.
He said that Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani was not a chief minister of the PPP rather he has been elected by the coalition partners. Haidery further said that the JUI-F has joined the coalition in the centre under an agreement and they quit the government after the agreement was violated. He said that it was unfortunate to sack his party's minister for exposing corruption of the former Minister for Religious Affairs. "It was a tantamount to 'drone attack' by PPP that followed by a 'suicide attack' of JUI-F," he said, adding that future strategy of the party would be announced after the central executive meeting today (Wednesday).
He also criticised the reconciliation policy of President Asif Ali Zardari, saying that he first violated the understanding with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and then with JUI-F, adding that MQM would be the next victim.