Democracy can’t hinder accountability of corrupts: Shafqat Mahmood

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Thursday said the democracy cannot hinder the accountability of the corrupt peoples in the country. Strongly responding to Khursheed Shah’s tirade and oppositions’ reaction on the arrest of Agha Siraj Durrani in NA session, Shafqat Mehmood said that the parliament or democracy cannot become the shield to protect corrupt people and process of accountability. Addressing to the floor of NA, the minister said, “Our enemies are threatening us and the opposition has not worries to discuss the matter of Pulwama.” Advising the opposition, he said that they have to stage protest outside the courts not in the parliament. Shafqat Mahmood said that no elected member can above from the law and to defend against law in the court, adding that no one is supporter for the thieves here. He asked that should the accountability process be ended. “Every nation has an accountability process and no one has any objection to accountability,” the PTI leader said, pointing out that their senior minister Aleem Khan was also arrested by the NAB in an ongoing probe. “If there has been an arrest then why is the parliament being involved? NAB doesn’t take instructions from the prime minister,” Mahmood added. Bashing on the opposition, he said that the opposition parties say National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law is ‘black law.’ Why didn’t they remove it during their own ten-year tenure. “Why didn’t the PPP amend NAB laws when it came up with the 18th amendment? Neither the PPP nor PML-N changed the bureau’s laws when they were in power,” the education minister remarked. The federal minister said that the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leaders should raise slogans against their own leadership. During the speech of Shafqat in NA, the opposition members stood on their seats and made a noise with beating desks. Earlier, addressing the floor of NA, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) senior leader Khursheed Shah condemned the arrest of Agha Siraj Durrani. Lashed out at the NAB, he termed that dragging the elected member of assembly and speaker was a new function of ‘Naya Pakistan’ while the probe was still under way.