Senator seeks parliamentary probe into 'economic downfall'.

ISLAMABAD -- Concerns over the country's financial deterioration echoed in the Senate on Tuesday, with a treasury lawmaker calling for a parliamentary probe into the causes of economic downfall over the past 10 years.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui suggested forming a committee comprising lawmakers to review the causes of economic downfall since 2013.

In a wide-ranging speech on the floor of the house, Mr Siddiqui chided political parties for indulging in 'blame game' as he called for 'introspection beyond political divisions'.

He said the parties kept criticising each other but were not ready to examine the real causes behind problems faced by the country today.

The senator added that ex-dictator retired General Pervez Musharraf suspended the Constitution twice, but did not go to jail for even a single day.

PML-N's Irfan Siddiqui calls on political parties for 'introspection'; senators angered by Lt Gen Ghafoor's alleged remarks

'We [politicians] keep telling stories of each other's corruption but nobody asks how many millions of dollars Musharraf deposited in his accounts,' he said as he questioned the prices of the former president's 'palaces'.

Talking about the deteriorating economic situation, Senator Siddiqui said in his opinion, the decline started with the ouster of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017.

He added that GDP growth was good at that time with an inflation rate of around three per cent and a stable rupee.

'But then Nawaz Sharif was removed, and through the 2018 elections, a system was imposed which led to disaster,' he said in an apparent reference to the previous PTI-led government that came into power after the polls.

He also referred to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which he had presented in the house.

He claimed that the bill 'disappeAaAred' after it was passed by both houses of parliament seven months ago.

'This is not an insult to me, but an insult to this house and the entire parliament,' he said.

The bill sought to do away with judicial powers of the district administration in line with the Constitution.

Upon the lawmaker's insistence, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani directed the Senate secretary to investigate the bill's whereabouts and submit a report.

Alleged remarks by Lt Gen Ghafoor

JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza raised objections over the purported remarks of Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor about the recent protests led by Haq...