11 February 2005	Friday	01 Muharram 1426

ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: The senators were at a loss on Thursday to know the truth as the foreign ministry's figures on Umra performed by former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on taxpayer's money were challenged on the floor of the upper house.

However, no senator challenged the official figures of the foreign ministry regarding Umra performed by former prime minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali or the incumbent prime minister Shaukat Aziz on tax payers money.

The Senate resonated with the issue as a senator from the treasury benches, Dr Rozina Alam, said that former premier Shujaat Hussain bore the expenditure of some of the members of his delegation. She also placed on record a receipt for hotel expenditures paid by the PML chief. Senator Rozina said the relevant ministry should be directed to issue the clarification.

The list furnished by the foreign ministry showed that Senator Alam performed Umra in the entourage of former PM along with her son. However, smelling a rat, the opposition senators said either the foreign ministry had breached the privilege of the house by furnishing wrong information to the Senate or the claims by Mr Shujaat could be disputed.

Taking a strong note of the discrepancies in the information furnished to the House, Senator Ishaq Dar of PML-N demanded that the matter should be sent to the privileges committee. "It is breach of privilege of the House if the information was wrong," said senator Dar.

Recalling that information about NAB cases against senator Mushahid Hussain had also become disputed, senator Dar questioned if there was a "state within a state." He said the newspapers published the reports based on the information furnished to the Senate.

Opposing the opposition's demand that the matter be referred to the privileges committee for a probe on technical grounds, minister for parliamentary affairs, Dr Sher Afgan, said senator Dar was a seasoned parliamentarian and he should follow the rules while demanding that the case be referred to the privileges committee. He said a member whose privilege had been breached could move such a motion.

Rising on a point of personal explanation, senator Dar said the answers pertaining to Rs43 million on Umra of the three prime ministers were prepared by the government and not the opposition. He said either the proof given by Mr Shujaat was wrong or the information furnished by the foreign ministry.

Senator Enver Baig, who had initially put the question which resulted in furnishing of the embarrassing details, said the record submitted by the foreign office was based on official records because the it detailed the payments made by the Pakistani mission in Saudi Arabia.

When he asked Senator Alam if she could provide any proof that she paid for her Umra, the senator said the former premier Shujaat paid the expenses.

Later, talking to Dawn, Senator Baig said even if the hotel expenditures had been paid by Mr Shujaat, the air transportation costs had to be accounted for. Senator Baig questioned as to who paid for what he said was a free joyride on special flight.

Senator Baig said the foreign office should give a complete breakdown of the Rs43 million it said were spent on Umra of the three prime ministers. He said a motion had been moved by him under Rule 58 and the House might discuss the issue in detail.

In a related development, Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro said he had taken note of leakage of information to the media before it was placed on the floor of the house. The issue of leakage of information to the media had been raised by MMA senators.