ISLAMABAD, June 30: Opposition senators on Saturday submitted two adjournment motions to the Senate Secretariat seeking discussion on the issues of the proposed privatisation of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and the alleged misuse of funds by the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD).

According to the parliamentary secretary of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Izhar Amrohvi, the motions have been submitted under Rule 74 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 1988 and it carried the signatures of nine opposition senators, belonging to People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP).

The opposition senators in their motion stated that the PSO was not only the flagship of Pakistan’s oil sector but the country’s pride. “The privatisation plan of the PSO is against the national interest and is violative of fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution,” they say, adding: “In fact, the privatization process as being carried out by this government is against the strategic interests of Pakistan, intended to take away control from the people of Pakistan of key sectors of the economy, namely banking, utilities, steel, oil and gas.”

The senators have quoted a judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, saying that it is “illustrative of the fact that the acts of omissions and commissions on the part of the highest functionaries of the state have rendered the entire process questionable. More so, this is highlighted by the failure of the KESC (Karachi Electric Supply Corporation), the questionable sales of Habib Bank, the PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited) and UBL (United Bank Limited).”

The senators further state, “The PSO is a strategic asset and its control must remain with its people. It is the duty of the state to run state-owned units under the best practices of corporate governance. The PSO is a profitable unit and contributing to the economy of Pakistan since its inception.

The decision to privatise PSO must be reviewed in the national interest and in this regard, it is imperative for this House to discuss it and all stakeholders must be given full opportunity to express their opinions.”

Meanwhile, the same senators also submitted another adjournment motion to the Senate Secretariat seeking a debate on the alleged misuse of funds by the NCHD “as exposed by the first audit report of Pakistan Human Development Fund (PHDF) by the auditor general of Pakistan.”

The motion states that the AG report has detected the “misuse of funds” to the tune of Rs1.29 billion and the non- accountability of Rs338 million from the bank accounts of the NCHD and the PHDF.

“The opposition members have repeatedly raised this issue in this House and had always expressed their reservations about the working and corrupt practices in the NCHD and the PHDF. The AG report has confirmed the consistent stand of the opposition,” says the motion, adding: “This issue needs to be discussed in detail as it relates to the misuse of funds, loss to national exchequer and corrupt practices in the working of the NCHD and the PHDF.”

Both the motions have been signed by Opposition Leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Enver Baig, Farooq Naek, Sardar Latif Khosa, Dr Babar Awan and Dr Safdar Abbassi of the PPP; Sadia Abbasi of the PML-N; Prof Khurshid Ahmed of the MMA and Raza Muhammad Raza of the PkMAP.