LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shahbaz Sharif has asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to keep his word and constitute a powerful parliamentary commission to probe allegations of rigging in the July 25 general elections and recommend steps to block rigging attempts in future.

Stating that Mr Khan had himself made an unconditional promise with him on the day of the prime minister’s election in the National Assembly on Aug 17, Mr Sharif said no commission had been notified even after the passage of three weeks.

“I hope Imran Khan will not take yet another U-turn,” he said.

He said the parliamentary commission should have representation of all political parties in the National Assembly to ensure that a forensic audit of votes was conducted. He said facts should be presented before the nation through the National Assembly.

Says massive increase in gas tariff must be debated in parliament

Mr Sharif, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, said the opposition alliance would not let the house function if the commission to probe rigging allegations was not constituted. “Imran Khan should know that the opposition alliance will get the commission constituted,” he asserted.

Stating that he did not want to hold a press conference on government actions as early as within three weeks, Mr Sharif said the PTI government’s decisions were disastrous not only for the country’s economy but also for public life. “The PTI government increased gas and electricity tariffs, besides withdrawing subsidies on fertiliser, and played havoc with the lives of people,” he said.

The PML-N president said the 46 per cent increase in gas prices, withdrawal of Rs3 per unit relief (given by the PML-N government) and further Rs2 per unit increase in electricity cost would jack up the cost of production for industries and lead to a price hike — causing problems to everyone in the country. The massive increase in gas tariff was a structural change and needed to be debated in parliament, he said and added “We will become the voice of the down-trodden and voiceless people in the country.”

Chiding the PTI government for increasing loadshedding while every project of power generation was in place and electricity generation was much more than the demand, Mr Sharif said the PML-N government had installed four gas-fired power projects — two each by the federal and Punjab governments. “The projects were established through government resources and saved Rs160 billion,” he said.

Referring to the prime minister’s appeal for donations for Diamer-Bhasha dam, Mr Sharif said the PML-N government had spent Rs122bn and acquired land as well as completed a feasibility report for the dam.

Acknowledging that funds were needed for the construction of dams, he said the incumbent government could, however, immediately start power generation through run-of-the-river projects by inviting bids and allocating work to international investors. “There is no hurdle in generating 4,000 megawatts of electricity,” he said.

Mr Sharif said the opposition would closely monitor government policies and inform the public, besides agitating in and outside assemblies against anti-people policies.

Referring to the prime minister’s instructions to conduct an audit of Orange Line Metro Train as well as Metro bus projects in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi, the opposition leader said Mr Khan should have also included the Peshawar Metro Bus project for audit. He said the Peshawar High Court had decided that the Rs48bn project was taken to Rs68bn and the construction contract was given to a blacklisted company.

Mr Sharif also challenged Imran Khan to get his allegation of Rs70bn corruption in the Lahore Metro Project probed and bring facts before the nation. “I present myself for accountability and am ready for any punishment, if corruption is found in the project,” he said and added that he had actually saved a lot of money that belonged to the poor people of Punjab.

Lauding the warm welcome accorded to a minister from Saudi Arabia by his counterpart in Pakistan, Mr Sharif lambasted the PTI government for not offering warm welcome to the foreign minister of China despite the fact that Pakistan’s time-tested friend gave the CPEC that would turn the economy of Pakistan around.

Mr Sharif said the PTI government was just making tall claims of austerity but spending millions of rupees on advertisements for the auction of vehicles. “My government in Punjab had auctioned some 566 vehicles on a single advertisement,” he said. He said the PML-N government had also recovered land from illegal occupation of qabza groups, who now belonged to the PTI.

The PML-N president chided the government for discontinuing the policy of giving laptops to talented students.

He also stressed that the new Punjab government should not disband Daanish schools and become instrumental in recreating a clear-cut divide between haves and have-nots.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2018