ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday demanded formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the recovery claim of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

At a press conference, PPP Central Information Secretary Shazia Atta Marri said party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had clarified that the government should take the National Assembly into confidence on sensitive issues of national security, adding the government’s unilateral decisions had no significance and the PPP had already rejected them.

Accompanied by party leader Saleem Mandviwalla, Ms Marri said the prime minister had announced that relief would be given to the people but except usual false claims and announcements the government had done nothing for the welfare of the masses.

Mr Mandviwalla said the NAB chairman had claimed that Rs815 billion had been recovered since inception of the corruption watchdog about 16 years ago and deposited in the national exchequer. However, the finance secretary recently informed a parliamentary committee that the government had not yet received any recovered money from NAB.

He said a letter had also been written to the chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance to form a subcommittee to probe the matter.

He also said the government had arrested two sugar mill owners in Punjab and the Punjab Sugar Mill Association had asked sugar mill owners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh not to start crushing.

Mr Mandviwalla expressed the fear that sugar prices would increase to Rs200 per kg in coming days if the crisis continued. He said after sugar, the country might face the shortage of wheat flour as the federal government had failed to take steps to import wheat.

Ms Marri said perhaps the ruling party wanted to impose a complete ban on the media but the PPP would not allow the government to take such decisions and would support the media against every injustice.

She said inflation had doubled and the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities had made the life of the people very hard. She said profiteers of sugar, oil and ghee had been given a free hand.

“PPP has rejected the recent hike in petroleum and electricity prices and demanded its immediate withdrawal,” she said.

Foundation day

PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was the hope of the country and the future of the youth.

He stated this during a meeting of PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter held at PPP Central Secretariat on Tuesday to chalk out plan to observe party’s foundation day.

“The party’s foundation day in Peshawar will determine the course of politics in the country. PPP founding chairman Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had a strong attachment to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and PPP Parliamentarian Secretary General Farhatullah Babar attended the meeting.

He said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address the public meeting of the party on Foundation Day on Nov 30.

“PPP will give a surprise in the local bodies’ elections in the province. In the local bodies elections, the people will take revenge of the anti-people policies of the present rulers through the ballot papers,” said PPP Parliamentarian Secretary General Farhatullah Babar.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2021