ISLAMABAD: Taking part in the debate on the privatisation policy of the government in the National Assembly, the opposition members on Monday objected to the inclusion of dual nationals and green card holders into the federal cabinet and accused the government of pursuing the privatisation policy during the pandemic only to oblige its `cronies` who wanted to buy national assets at throwaway prices.

`Do not oblige others through the nationalexchequer,` said parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Khawaja Asif while opening up the debate in the assembly.

Questioning the presence of non-elected members and dual nationals in the special committee formed to review the privatisation process, the PML-N leader said people knew the names of those who wanted to purchase these national assets and properties and they would not allow the government tocarry out the privatisation process in a `non-transparentmanner`.

The PML-N leader aHeged that those in the committee were involved in real estate business.

`Whose agenda is being pursued?Itisnottheagenda of the people or the country.

The agenda of few people is being pursued,` he alleged.Khawaja Asif said that the federal cabinet was a `product` of parliament as the constitution clearly defined the number of ministers and advisers from the house. He said that when a dual national could not become a member of parliament, how he could sit in the federal cabinet.

`Whose ATMs are these (foreign nationals)? We will resist them at every front, he said.

`The privatisation process is being carried out to appease foreign masters, he alleged, stating that he did not want to name the persons.

The opposition members said they were not against the privatisation, but believed that the present pandemic time was not appropriate to do it when the world markets were extremely bearish. They were of the view that the process should be carried out with a `good intent` and keeping in view interests of the employees. `The government wants to oblige its cronies, but we will not allow this loot and plunder,` the PML-N leader said, declaring that they would oppose it in the house and `will go to the courts, if needed`.

`All political parties almost have consensus on the issue of privatisation through a legal and transparent manner. But we will not allow you to dole out national assets to your supporters or ATMs,` Khawaja Asif said.

Referring to the last month`s controversial speech of Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khanin which he had announced that 262 Pakistani pilots possessed fake degrees and dubious licences, the PML-N leader said that it was a `deliberate attempt to destroy the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)`.

He said the government was talking about outsourcing the country`s airports at a time when airports all over the world were deserted. He said the government was planning to sell off PIA`s Roosevelt Hotel in New York when 73 hotels had already been closed in the US city due to Covid-19 pandemic.

`There is madness in the method,` he said, asking the government to tell the nation as to whom it wanted to oblige.

He said the privatisation process was started by the PML-N government in 1990s with the privatisation of banks and a number of other institutions, but there was no `labour unrest` in any part of the country. He said his government offeredhandsome amount under the golden handshake plan and provided employees the opportunity to find out other jobs.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA from Khairpur Dr Nafisa Shah recalled the past speeches of Prime Minister Imran Khan on the issue of dual nationals when he was in the opposition and asked him to order his foreign national aides to surrender their nationalities and residencies and bring their wealth and assets to Pakistan to prove their loyalty to the country.

The Cabinet Division on Saturday released details of assets and dual nationalities of special assistants to the prime minister(SAPMs)andhis advisers, showing that out of the 19 non-elected cabinet members, four SAPMs hold dual nationalities and the three others are the `permanent residents` of the US, Canada and Singapore.

Dr Shah said they had never been against the dual nationals and had never doubt their loyalties, but it was Imran Khan himself who carried out the `character assassination` of the dual nationals, stating that they could not hold a public of fice.

The outspoken PPP MNA kept on calling the federal cabinet as `rent-a-cabinet and a privatised cabinet`, regretting there was total `disconnect` between the cabinet and the parliament.

Dr Shah said the nation had only recently faced a petroleum crisis in the country in the presence of the prime minister`s aide who had no relations with the country and who possessed assets abroad.

`This is a tragedy that wehave a selected prime minister, selected ministers and a private cabinet,` she added.

Dr Shah differed from the point of view of PML-N`s Khawaja Asif that the privatisation policy had proved to be f ruitful for the country. She was of the view that had the privatisation policy been beneficial, the countrywouldnothave been facing the economic crisis.

She said after the privatisation, there were no banksin the country which were providing loans to the youth or farmers of the country. Dr Shah said now the federal government was eying the precious land of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in Sindh province, stating that they would not allow the government to do its privatisation.

Communications Minister Murad Saeed responded from the treasury benches, holding the previous governments responsible for the present poor state of the national economy. Responding to the opposition`s criticism on the dual national aides of the prime minister, Mr Saeed recalled that during the previous PML-N government`s tenure, not only the ministers, but the prime minister were holding Iqamas (work permits) of other countries.

Mr Saeed, however, stated that there was no plan to sell of f Roosevelt Hotel, saying that the government had decided to take steps to bring it out of losses.

He said a policy about privatisation would be devised and everything would be done as per wishes of the parliament. He demanded that all advisers and special assistants who served during the governments of the PML-N and PPP to declare their assets as well.