No one other than the opposition really talks about national interests: Shahid Khaqan

ISLAMABAD, Jan 04 (SABAH): Former prime minister and Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday commented that this government presented mini budget in the Parliament and postponed the proceedings without debate. He questioned who was responsible for embezzlement of Rs1000 billion.

While talking to media persons after appearing before the accountability court in LNG case, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the whole nation is waiting for the mini budget. The country is facing the worst economic crisis in three years yet the Finance Minister claims that they have added an additional tax of only 2 billion rupees in the budget, he went on to say.

The PML-N lawmaker raised concerns that there is no one who considers himself answerable for the budget that was prepared six months ago, adding that the parliamentarians were not briefed over the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Abbasi asked if there is any other example of the autonomy given to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Finance Minister should tell the people how much additional loan this government has taken and how much inflation has risen as a result of these loan, he questioned.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi claimed that PML-N governed the country for five years. If anyone can find any kind of corruption in their tenure, they can conduct the media trial so that people can know the reality of the legal proceedings, he stated.

He further stated that the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government will have to answer for the exemptions granted to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the anti-graft watchdog will have to answer for the fake cases filed by them.

The former prime minister said that no one other than the opposition really talks about the national interests. The premier and other ministers make hundreds of speeches yet never talk about the people, he asserted.