ISLAMABAD, Jan 30: The Pakistan Muslim League-N on Friday complained in the National Assembly of what it saw a “character-assassination” campaign against its leader Nawaz Sharif sponsored by the government, which moved quickly to decry such tactics in an apparent conciliatory gesture on the last day of the lower house session.

Just before its prorogation after a 19-day session, PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal created a stir in the house when he came rushing into the hall and said on a point of order that he was in possession of some of the articles “being issued” by the government’s Press Information Department to be published in newspapers to defame Mr Sharif and some unnamed party colleagues.

He alleged that government resources were being used to get articles written and published “for the character assassination of Nawaz Sharif and other (PML-N) leaders” in what he called a violation of a commitment against resort to such practices in the Charter of Democracy signed by the assassinated Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto and the PML-N chief in 2006.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan acknowledged that the PML-N member’s point was “very important” and that there should be “no politics of zatiat” (personal attacks), but he avoided denying or confirming any involvement of the government in such writings.

However, he seemed passing on the blame to article writers, saying “there is an unfortunate trend” of journalists sometimes “projecting only one point of view” in their writings.

“The point is well taken and I will meet my friend (to discuss the matter),” he said before going over to Mr Iqbal’s desk where he seemed to be looking at the undisclosed writings.

Earlier, PPP member Shakila Khanum Rashid, chairing the sitting in the absence of Speaker Fehmida Mirza, informed the house that the PML-N had withdrawn a requisition it had submitted early this month for calling a special NA session to discuss issues such as petroleum prices and electricity and gas load-shedding over which it had often accused the government of mismanagement.

Zakat and Ushr Minister Noorul Haq Qadri assured the house that his ministry would try to create a central monitoring system to ensure a fair and transparent distribution of zakat funds among the deserving poor people to remove complaints.

PML-Q member Amir Muqam had complained that the NWFP ruling coalition partners Awami National Party and the PPP had appointed their own party members as chairmen of zakat committees who he said would engage in favouritism as had allegedly happened under the previous provincial government of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.

A PML-N member from Rawalpindi, Mohammad Hanif Abbasi, demanded while speaking on a point of order that the house pass a strong resolution calling for the recovery of missing persons allegedly picked up by intelligence agencies in the past and that the government explain reasons for its inability to stop missile attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas by Afghanistan-based US drones.

But there was no government response to his demand.