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PML-N leader says it was a political statement by SBP chief
ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior member Khawaja Muhammad Asif in Friday’s National Assembly proceedings strongly criticised State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor over his recent statement about depreciation of the rupee.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, at the fag end of the proceedings, termed the statement against 220 million Pakistanis. “Governor SBP, in his statement, talked about benefit of overseas Pakistanis but he did not share what will happen with 220 million Pakistanis living in the country,” he said, expressing his views on a point of order. PML-N’s parliamentary leader was of the view that the SBP chief will return to abroad after doing his job. “He [SBP chief] would return to abroad and the masses would bear the brunt,” he remarked.
He alleged that people like SBP Governor act like liquidators of IMF for Pakistan saying that he (SBP Governor) was not running the State Bank rather he was rendering the country as bankrupt.
The PML-N leader said that it was a political statement by the SBP chief. “If he was interested in politics then he should contest elections and sit in the House,” he said, asking the chair to give a shut-up call.
The second session of the fourth parliamentary year once again witnessed very thin presence of lawmakers which provided an opportunity to the opposition to disrupt proceedings.
The government for the second consecutive day failed to submit ‘Public Procurement Authority Bill’ due to lack of required strength in the House. PPP-P’s senior members pointed out lack of quorum when the Advisor to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan attempted to present the bill in the House.
Earlier, the opposition member Qaisar Ahmed Shaikh, during question-hour, indicated that by increasing the rate of US dollar from Rs 120 to Rs 175. Whereas, Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce Aliya Hamza Malik said that country’s economy was going in right direction and the government very well knew as to what should be done.
She argued that imports increased due to import of spare parts for the country’s auto industry and IT industry and COVID-19 vaccination and other related equipment.
She said 50 percent relief in electricity tariff for small and medium enterprises was granted till June this year. She said customs duty of two percent on 1,623 tariff lines has been removed. She further said duties on 112 tariff lines have been reduced to implement the “Make in Pakistan Initiative”.
Sharing his input, Federal Minister Omar Ayub said the previous government got 23.6 billion dollars in loans and the incumbent regime has to pay nine billion dollars as interest on these. “The interest on those foreign loans makes up 90 percent of our total debt servicing every year while the PML-N Government also kept dollar rate at Rs 100 artificially,” he said. Ayub also shared with the house that the PML-N government left foreign exchange reserves which were sufficient for only two weeks.