No party to back govt on NAB reforms, says Kaira

Khursheed says NAP not being implemented in letter and spirit

LALAMUSA: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Sunday that no political party would back the government with regard to the proposed reforms in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

He expressed these views while talking to media persons at Dera Kaira here on Sunday. He said that the Rangers were called out when the government felt that the police was unable to protect the people properly. However, he added, now the Sindh government would have to assess whether permission for further stay ofthe Rangers should be given or not.

Kaira said banned organisations were functioning in the Punjab but the rulers were claiming that all was okay in the province. He criticised the PML-N for its dual standards. Former Punjab finance minister Ch Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, former chairman Baitul Mal Zamurad Khan, former tehsil Nazim Kharian Ch Nadeem Asghar Kaira, PPP councillors, office-bearers and local workers were also present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said that it was unfortunate that the National Action Plan (NAP) was not being implemented in letter and spirit as had been admitted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the PPP had never indulged in any loose talk and nobody could say that the PPP was doing negative politics. “We took a decision on the formation of military courts at the All Parties’ Conference (APC), keeping in view the need of the hour, though it was against the basic structure, training and ideology of the PPP.

“The decision was made so that criminals staying in jails for long could be punished through military courts.” Khursheed said that the terrorists involved in three incidents in Sindh were traced and arrested but those involved in two terrorist acts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were still untraced.

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and he (Khursheed Shah) had appointed the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) with consensus but now the PM was against his actions.

He criticised the government, saying when the Sindh government had pointed out the excesses of the accountability bodies, its complaints fell on deaf ears. If they had taken action then, the PPP would have supported the ruling PML-N now.

Khursheed said the PPP had consulted all opposition parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party etc for correcting NAB and stopping it from defaming politicians.

However, he added, the people would say politicians had united to save their corruption. He asked the NAB authorities to mend its ways and correct its faults. It was not fair to keep a person in jail for two years on the basis of an application. He said he languished in jail for two years though he had committed no crime. NAB should first investigate properly and then take action against any accused.