ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 The Pakistan Muslim League-Q challenged the government on Monday to table a resolution in the National Assembly for a trial of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

Speaking on a call attention notice in the National Assembly, PML-Q parliamentary leader Faisal Saleh Hayat said the government should gather the courage to try Gen (retd) Musharraf through parliament if allegations of massive corruption and wrongdoings against him were true.

The notice, moved by Makhdoom Faisal, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Amir Muqam, Bushra Rahman and Marvi Memon, pertained to reports of alleged corruption in government institutions and public sector corporations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan termed the accusations mere slander. Newspaper reports and rumours could not be made the basis of allegations of 'generalised corruption', Mr Awan contended.

He said “real corruption” had started during Gen (retd) Musharraf's rule when the National Accountability Bureau's “black laws” were implemented, people were forced to change their loyalties and a coup was staged against a democratic government.

He said the ministers would reply to every allegation against a ministry, department or institution.

At one point, Mr Awan drew the attention of the chair towards the tendency of various standing committees to get the date for presentation of their reports extended.In reply to a question about the appointment of a junior officer as chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue, the minister said anyone from the cadre could challenge the appointment.

In reply to another question, he said the Pakistan Steel was working smoothly.

Earlier, the house discussed the issue of human smuggling on a call attention notice. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the incidence of human smuggling had fallen over the past year.

He said the Federal Investigation Agency, Balochistan and Sindh police, the Maritime Security Agency and other law enforcement agencies were working in tandem to stop human smuggling to Iran, Turkey, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Human trafficking was a non-bailable offence but suspects managed to get bail and the government was taking measures to improve the prosecution of cases, he said.