ISLAMABAD (A News) – Former Prime Minister and senior leader of the governing PML-N Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was honest on Wednesday, calling the departing National Assembly the “worst in the history of the country” for failing to pass laws to provide relief to the citizens.
Abbasi, the son of a renowned Air Force veteran, Air Commodore Khaqan, apologized to his compatriots in his parting comments on the floor of the lower house of parliament.
He said that not a single piece of legislation has been passed in the previous five years to alleviate the plight of the masses.
He did not hesitate to state that the legislative record of the previous five years proved his point. “If one sifts through the record, he will discover that all of the government bills were not intended to provide relief to the people.”
Abbasi was embarrassed because “today people have lost trust in the system, which could not be restored through meaningless legislation but through deeds.”
He predicted that it would take a decade to turn back the country’s economy and blamed “everyone of us” for it. He proposed forming a “truth commission” to investigate “who did what with the country.”
The ex-premier noted that a group of legislators surrounded the interior minister today to demand his signature on licenses. “I don’t see why this process can’t be streamlined,” he continued.
“People say that all members of the assembly are corrupt, and we show that they are correct,” he added, citing the passage of 40 to 53 private member bills in the National Assembly in a couple of days.
He said that it called into doubt the credibility of members of the House.
Abbasi also chastised the speaker of the National Assembly for “causing unprecedented damage to the reputation of the house.”
Abbasi also chastised the speaker of the National Assembly for “causing unprecedented damage to the reputation of the house.”
“The speaker is considered the custodian of the house’s reputation and dignity,” he remarked. The house’s dignity has plummeted. There is a widespread belief that legislators come to pillage public resources.”
He encouraged the chair and members to maintain the house’s dignity.
He also highlighted concerns about the taxing system. “Do parliamentarians pay taxes?” he inquired, adding, “Parliament has the power to give approval to impose taxes on masses, but parliamentarians do not pay taxes.”
“How can the parliament impose taxes on people when they do not pay taxes?” “This is not leadership if you don’t pay taxes but impose yourself on people,” he said.
According to Abbasi, the government is running by taking out loans at 24% interest; the same is true for defense costs and the operation of the parliament.
Surprisingly, hardly one questioned political officials about taxation. “I remained in NAB’s custody, but I was never questioned about whether I paid taxes or not,” he claimed.
He claimed that the former government also inflicted irreparable damage to the house’s dignity when a member in prison was not produced; he used to remind the then-speaker of his obligations as the house’s custodian.
During the former regime’s time, he said, every “un-parliamentary” behavior was performed and insulting language was used in the chamber.
Later, in an interview with the media outside Parliament House, he stated that he did not want the previous Prime Minister jailed and imprisoned.
However, if the PTI head is innocent, justice would be served, he stressed.
Abbasi determined that the ex-premier needed to do a lot of soul-searching about the conduct that led to his detention.