Islamabad: Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday criticised the media for spreading speculations about his absence from former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s homecoming rally towards Lahore on GT Road.
In a statement issued after his visit to the National Assembly, Nisar dismissed reports claiming that he had ever agreed to drive Sharif’s car all the way to Lahore. “I never said that I will drive Nawaz Sharif’s car till Lahore, but some media houses have been running this baseless news on repeat,” he said.
He asked when most of the PML-N leadership was not part of Sharif’s convoy then ‘why was a fuss being created over his absence’? He also dismissed reports that he was not participating in the rally because of his ill heath. The former interior minister urged the media to verify statements before attributing them to him.
Shortage of 20,000 housing units needed for govt employees, NA told
Earlier, the National Assembly was informed in the session that a summary had been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office seeking approval for construction of new housing units for government employees. “As soon as the Ministry of Housing and Works gets the approval, the construction will be started to meet the shortage of accommodation for employees,” Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Works Syed Sajid Mehdi said during question-answer session.
He said no housing unit had been constructed for allotments to government employees in 22 years.
The parliamentary secretary said a proposal had been floated to construct multi-storey buildings for the purpose. “Upper stories of the buildings can be used for residential purposes, while ground floors can be used for commercial purposes,” he said.
Answering a supplementary question of Dr Nafeesa Shah, the parliamentary secretary said there was a shortage of around 20,000 housing units need for allotment to government employees. He assured the House that no allotment was made in violation of the general waiting list (GWL).
“The units that are vacated by occupants on their retirement or because of any other reason are immediately allotted to the employee in accordance with the GWL. He said allotments were made on merit and in accordance with Supreme Court directives.
Published in Daily Times, August 11th 2017.
