PPP’s leadership approached US to get NRO: Murad Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communication and Postal Services Murad Saeed here on Monday alleged that Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leadership approached the United States (US) to get National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), ARY News reported.

Responding to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speech in the National Assembly, Murad Saeed alleged that PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari along with Husain Haqqani, a former ambassador to the United States, had held meetings with US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director.

Saeed further said, “Zardari had asked the then US ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson that the government had no issue with the US drone strikes in Pakistan.” The PPP leader had asked the US envoy that they would only express concerns over the attacks, Saeed added.

The minister said that Benazir Bhutto had asked the US officials to rid them from corruption charges and had sought support from then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to become the prime minister.

Criticizing the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the minister said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had paid $.32 million for his treatment from the national exchequer. He said that the former prime minister had spent over Rs 280 million on a road leading to his residence in Raiwind and added that over Rs2 billion spent on the security of Sharif family during the last five years.

Lauding the austerity drive of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Saeed said that he still lived in his own house instead of Prime Minister House and added that he bear all the expenses of his household from pocket.