Parliamentary Secretary for Textile, Commerce, Industries and Production Aliya Hamza on Thursday informed the National Assembly that the world institutions are hailing the relief packages announced by the government for different segments of the society during Covid-19 crisis.
Speaking in the National Assembly, she
said that Secretary General of United Nations and international media had also appreciated Pakistan’s relief package announced to provide assistance to poor people during this difficult time. She
said that due to Prime M
inister Imran Khan’s debt relief call, the loans
of developing countries were being deferred. She
said that sugar and flour crises had badly affected the country during the governments of Pakistan People’s party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz.
The secretary
said that it was unfortunate that PML-N and PPP had not constituted any commission to probe different crises during their tenures. She
said that credit for making the commission to probe sugar and flour crises went to Prime M
inister Imran Khan.
Aliya Hamza
said that it was unfortunate and not understandable that the Sindh government had purchased 41 vehicles in the name
of dealing with the locust. She alleged that Sindh government had given Rs 4 billion subsidy for sugar in the province to Omni group.
The parliamentary secretary
said Pakistan People’s Party and PMLN governments also indulged in export and import of sugar during their tenure. If the governments of PPP and PML-N allowed export and import of sugar, and it was right step, then how it could be wrong if done by the PTI government, she added. She alleged that former Prime M
inister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi gave Rs 20 billion subsidy to Suleman Shahbaz.
About Pakistan Steel Mills, she
said that soon after assuming the government, the Prime M
inister constituted experts’ groups for making operational plan for the steel mills. She
said that experts from the private sector were included in the groups to come up with working plan to run the steel mill. She
said that after study of the experts’ recommendations, the government included PSM in the privatization list. She
said it was objective of the government to run the PSM through public private partnership for the benefit of the country and its employees.
She recalled that Sindh government during 2015 had asked the PML-N government to hand over the PSM to Sindh. She
said t
hat unfortunately during that period Sindh government did not submit any plan to the then government. Then time and again Chief M
inister Sindh asked for calling the meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI) to discuss privatization of PSM but nothing happened, she added.
The secretary
said that during Pervaiz Musharraf’s government Pakistan Steel Mills was running in profit, while during the PPP government it was pushed into losses. She
said it was unfortunate that during the PML-N governmen
t tenure, the operation of PSM totally ended.
Aisha Ghaus Pasha of PML (N)
said the Covid-19 had badly affected the economy and livelihoods of the people. She asked the government to take steps for the betterment of the country’s economy.
Abdul Qadir Patel of Pakistan People’s Party criticized the government for the flour, sugar and petroleum products’ crises in the country.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan MNA Kishwar Zehra
said that it was unfortunate that development needs of Karachi were being ignored.