ISLAMABAD: The opposition in the National Assembly on Thursday lambasted the government’s performance of more than four-and-a-half years.

Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah criticised the government for what he called its ‘faulty’ policies and highlighted problems right from the agriculture sector, petroleum sector, economic development, exports, judicial system of the country to lack of interest of ministers and members of treasury benches in parliament.

Mr Shah also criticised the judiciary for what he described as its interference in the domain of parliament and said: “In the presence of parliament, the country’s important decisions are being made by the judiciary. This is not a good omen. Two to three parallel governments are being run simultaneously in the country.”

He drew attention of the house to the pathetic condition of farmers of sugarcane, wheat, rice and cotton caused by short-sightedness of ministers. “The country will definitely face shortage of sugar, wheat and cotton this year,” he feared.

He said the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products and additional taxes and duties on them had created an overall inflation, while purchasing power of the common man was still the same.

Khursheed Shah says two to three parallel governments are being run simultaneously in country

“During the last PPP government, taxes on diesel were not more 15 per cent of its cost which have now increased to 28pc,” he said.

Mr Shah said everyone in the country was feeling uncertainty and no foreign investor was ready to invest in Pakistan because local investors were investing in other countries.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had acquired foreign loans of over Rs7 trillion since 2013 on which it was paying $1.4bn interest annually. “During the last Pakistan Peoples Party government, every Pakistani owed Rs74,000, but now he is under a burden of Rs125,000,” he regretted.

The PPP leader said that during the PML-N rule, problems like poor health facilities, joblessness, poverty, lack of education and insecurity were confronting the people.

He criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for having personal relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and inviting him to the wedding ceremony of his granddaughter in Lahore. “Our people are being killed every day by Indian forces on the Line of Control, while our prime minister was inviting his Indian counterpart to his house,” he said.

At this, Law Minister Chaudhry Bashir Virk said Nawaz Sharif had not invited Indian PM Modi to the wedding but he [Mr Modi] came to meet him without any prior intimation.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari asked how a prime minister of a rival country could directly visit the house of his Pakistani counterpart without any prior permission.

Later, opposition members urged the government to take measures to foil a move by the US and some European countries to put Pakistan on a terror-financing watchlist of the United Nations.

Khursheed Shah criticised the government for its “failed” foreign policy, especially relations with the US, and urged Islamabad to sever all sorts of relations with Washington.

He said the Trump administration had banned visas for Pakistanis despite the fact that Islamabad had always followed US policies. “We fought the Afghan war from 1979 to 1985 only for the US, gave refuge to 3.5 million Afghans on the desire of the US, but received problems in return,” he said.

President of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Khan Achakzai said the US move to put Pakistan on the watchlist surfaced two weeks ago, but the government did nothing to block it at the UN till now.

He said propaganda was being launched against him that he had paid a visit to India and met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there. “This propaganda is being launched by those who were giving bath to the horses of British rulers,” he said.

Naveed Qamar, who was chairing the session, asked Mr Achakzai to move a privilege motion so that it could be discussed in detail.

Mr Achakzai raised the issue of sale and purchase of tickets of Senate seats in the elections of the upper house on March 3.

PTI leader Shafqat Mehmood said his party had proposed direct elections of the Senate, but no other party endorsed the idea. “Had our suggestions been accepted, the issue of sale and purchase of Senate seats could not have arisen,” he added.

The opposition blocked the Institute for Art and Culture Bill, 2018, only because Presi­dent Mamnoon Hussain was to be made its patron-in-chief.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2018