PM to head inquiry commission: Vawda

ISLAMABAD: Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda on Friday said Prime Minister Imran Khan will himself lead his recently-announced inquiry commission to probe the Rs24 trillion in loans “taken by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)” governments. Talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, he said “Imran Khan himself will oversee the high-powered inquiry commission’s investigations”.

Vawda’s statement contradicts government spokeswoman Firdous Awan’s statements a day earlier, who said told reporters a day earlier that opposition parties and a section of media were giving the impression that the Prime Minister himself would head the commission which was “incorrect”. She also said the chairman of the commission would be named in a week.

The water resources minister has been known to make out-of-turn claims, and it is unclear if his position is the government’s own position or whether the government will appoint a chairman that will report to the Prime Minister.

Vawda told reporters the nation wanted to know about the projects that had been completed from the loans of Rs24,000 billion. He said PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif did nothing for the nation, if he had done anything he would have told the joint investigation team during Panama investigations.

Vawda said Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz were out of the country and claimed former finance minister Ishaq Dar, his sons and son-in-law had fled from the country.