ISLAMABAD: Accusing the government of hiding behind the Covid-19 pandemic over its “failed and directionless” economic policy, parliamentary leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Khawaja Asif on Monday called for placing Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir on the exit control list (ECL). He alleged these two people might run away from Pakistan after completely destroying the country’s economy.

“Put their names on the ECL so that they cannot flee the country before [attending] the last rites of the country’s economy,” the firebrand PML-N leader from Sialkot said while opening the general debate on the federal budget in the National Assembly in the absence of party president and Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif.

The National Assembly which met after a two-day recess on the opening day of the budget debate witnessed traditional speeches from both sides of the aisle with opposition finding nothing good in the budget and the treasury justifying it and terming it the “best budget” under the prevailing unprecedented circumstances.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umer opened the debate from the treasury side and responded to the points raised by Kh Asif in his speech.

National Assembly begins debate on budget

Attacking the present economic team of the government, PML-N’s Kh Asif said Hafeez Shaikh had been given this responsibility for the third time as he had previously served in the cabinet of the military dictator retired General Pervez Musharraf as well.

“These people will run away from the country to report back to their masters who had sent them here. These people are IMF liquidators and now they have become caretakers,” he alleged, adding they had put the “murder weapon” in the hands of Industries Minister Hammad Azhar, who had delivered the budget speech in the assembly on June 12.

Kh Asif alleged that Hafeez Shaikh had conflict of interest as he owned companies with Indian partners.

“Why do you bring these mercenaries instead of the elected people?” he asked, stating that giving such important positions to the non-elected people was negation to the parliamentary democracy as these people were not answerable to the people.

“Don’t make a mess with this country,” he said, adding that both the adviser and the SBP governor should be given targets and they should be asked to sign bonds.

Commenting on the budget, he said it was a “massive reprieve on the economic front” and “a total recipe for disaster.”

Kh Asif also launched a political attack on the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) alleging that in the 2018 general elections, the PTI was provided a “favourable wicket, umpires of its own choice and a tampered ball and after including players of other teams in it”.

He claimed that after two years in the government, even the die-hard supporters of the PTI were unable to defend it.

He gave a comparison of economic indicators during the PML-N government and the present time, claiming all the indicators were declining. He predicted more mini-budgets with more taxes in the coming days.

Insurance for health workers

In the beginning, Kh Asif paid tributes to doctors, nurses and paramedics for serving the nation putting their and family members’ lives in danger in the wake of pandemic and “despite facing opposition from the government”.

He said the government should at least announce insurance cover for the doctors and paramedics. He also blamed the government responsible for the spread of coronavirus in the country due to a confused policy about imposition of lockdown.

“Economy had already sunk when corona arrived in March. There was not a single indicator which showed that the government was heading in the right direction,” he said.

Taking the floor as the second speaker of the day, federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umer, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre on Covid-19, justified the strategy of not imposing a strict lockdown in the country.

He gave the example of India, saying that strict lockdown was imposed there on March 25 which affected livelihood of millions of people. He said the lockdown could not check the spread of coronavirus, however, on the contrary, it badly affected economy of the country.

He said the opposition parties remained obsessed with Imran Khan, saying it was ironic that they blame the government for coronavirus at a time when the whole world was engulfed by the pandemic.

Rejecting Kh Asif’s criticism on the budget and challenging his figures, the minister claimed the country’s economy was growing well before the outbreak of coronavirus as mentioned by economic indicators.

The foreign exchange reserves, he said, were growing whereas other economic indicators were showing positive growth before the coronavirus hit the country.

The minister said it was because of the ill-thought policies of the previous PML-N government that the people rejected it in the 2018 elections.

Responding to the demand for putting the names of the PM’s adviser and the SBP governor on the ECL, Mr Umer said that he had no trust in the ECL after seeing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif leaving the country on fake medical reports.

The minister also provided details of the projects under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), saying special focus was being given to education and health sectors.

Speaker Asad Qaiser informed the house that a total of 40 hours had been allocated for the general debate. Out of this allocated time, the treasury members would get 21 hours and 35 minutes whereas the opposition would get 18 hours and 25 minutes.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2020