Jamsheed Dasti Allegation's

The allegations of MNA Jamshed Dasti regarding immoral and illegal activities at the privileged Parliament Lodges are not new, as in the past FIRs were lodged after recovery of liquor from cars at the gates of the lodges but poor drivers and peons were made the scapegoat and never any big fish was netted. But this time, the allegations are far grave and have been raised on the floor of the house and the Speaker National Assembly has been requested to initiate necessary action to stop the alleged involvement of parliamentarians in using hashish, wine, women and fun and frolics at the lodges.

Dasti says he has seen videos of wine, women and music at the lodges and demanded screening tests of all the parliamentarians. However, what Dasti demands now has remained in the headlines before as well. The News reported on June 30, 2009 that a peon of the Senate of Pakistan who was caught red-handed in a vehicle of a female senator by the police for carrying imported liquor for ‘someone’ at the Parliament Lodges was suspended while those named by the female senator and that peon were spared. According to details, one Muhammad Ishaq, a peon of the Senate, was caught carrying 24 bottles of imported liquor in the official car of Senator Gulshan Saeed and an FIR was lodged against that peon.

Senator Gulshan Saeed while talking to The News on June 29, 2009 said her driver on his way back to Parliament Lodges gave lift to Muhammad Ishaq, a peon of senator who was carrying a bag. On a picket when the police stopped that car and checked, the liquor was recovered. She said Muhammad Ishaq had apologized to her in front of deputy commissioner Islamabad that he was carrying the liquor for two Baloch senators.

She said: “The circumstances of Balochistan were so critical that no one was ready to talk against the Baloch senators and the then Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali had also requested me to forgive the Baloch senators.” One of the Baloch senators whose name was being taken, in an interview to The News then had said that Muhammad Ishaq remained his peon in 1997 when he was MNA. He said the peon tried to get away with the police while taking his name while he was in Lahore at that time. “The peon, Muhammad Ishaq had bought that liquor for his guests from Karachi and has been suspended by the Chairman Senate”, the Baloch senator had said.

However, Jamshed Dasti’s allegations include far more things that the common man could imagine parliamentarians to do. For instance, Dasti has accused his fellow parliamentarians of smelling hashish which by all means is a heinous crime. Dasti says he has been asking for action in meetings but no action compelled him to raise this issue on the floor of the house.NA Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq reportedly said Dasti should provide proof of these allegations. He added that if the allegations were true, action would be taken against the perpetrators. If the allegations are false, Ayaz Sadiq said parliament would decide on Dasti’s punishment.