ISLAMABAD, April 25: The economic team of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz came under severe criticism in the National Assembly on Friday when during the question hour a number of members demanded action against those who had allegedly plunged the country into present economic crisis.

Speaking on points of order, some members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) asked the government to summon former prime minister Shaukat Aziz and seek explanation over his poor economic policies.

Interestingly, when PML-N members were criticising the former prime minister and his team, Federal Minister for Education Ahsan Iqbal, also from the PML-N, said President Pervez Musharraf was actually responsible for the country’s problems, not Mr Aziz.

The statement of Mr Iqbal, who sat face to face with President Pervez Musharraf at a dining table on Thursday night, came as a surprise for many as it gave an impression that perhaps he was defending the former prime minister when he said Mr Aziz’s position was not more than that of a joint secretary as only one man had been calling the shots for the last eight years. He said it was Gen (retired) Musharraf who had brought the country to the brink of disaster and, therefore, he should be held accountable.

Earlier, speaking on a point of order MNA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed his surprise as to why the government was still functioning with all those officials who were in the forefront in making major economic decisions during the previous regime. He said the former prime minister had ‘run away’ from the country whereas members of his economic team, who were responsible for the present crisis, were still working in different capacities.

He said several advisers of the past regime were still present whereas one former team member of Mr Aziz had been made chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The MNA said it was strange that on the one hand they had been declaring the former regime responsible for the present economic crisis while on the other hand no one had been made accountable so far. He said the assembly should be told whether these people would be removed and presented before the parliament for accountability or not?

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who had been responding to various supplementary questions of the members, did not give any explanation as to why the government had been continuing with the same old economic team. He, however, said it would be premature to single out any individual rather it would be better if the matter was discussed in the house to decide the fate of those responsible.

APP adds: Speaking during the question hour, the minister said the national debt had swelled to Rs5,700 billion in 2007 from Rs2,900 billion in 1999. He said during the last 52 years, the country received a debt of Rs2,900 billion while the figures touched Rs5,700 billion mark within the last eight years after the democratic government was ousted. He said the previous government also under-budgeted the interest payment and the interest of around Rs420 billion was yet to be disbursed.

Mr Dar said he would present before the house the complete balance sheet of the total expenditures and the matter should be referred to the finance committee which would better resolve the issue.

In reply to a question, the finance minister said the total amount of loan/grant received (disbursed) by the government from abroad during the last three years (2004-07) was $11,350 million.