Choudhury Sher Ali, National Assembly member from Faisalabad and brother-in-law of Sharif's younger brother and Punjab province chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, came down heavily on the treasury benches in the house yesterday, much to the delight of opposition benches. Reacting angrily to reports that his name figured in the list of tax defaulters, Ali strongly criticised the prime minister's accountability bureau chief Saifur Rehman, abusing him before stunned treasury benches.

Ali warned that if the ``activities'' of Rehman, who is investigating corruption cases, were not controlled, he would expose ``all the secrets'' of the Sharif family, including its growth in business and politics during and after the Zia-ul-Haq regime, media reports here said. He threatenedto resign after lashing out at both the Sharif brothers and burn down government offices in Faisalabad, the reports said.

Ali alleged the accountability bureau was pursuing corruption cases against him prepared during the Benazir Bhutto regime and claimed it was politicians like him ``who made sacrifices and went to jail'' and that it was because of them that Rehman became accountability bureau chief.

Ali also represented many other disgruntled ruling party members who believe that a selected few, who have no political background, had been given preference over them by Sharif, the media reports said. Sharif, however, has taken serious note of Ali's outbursts and use of ``harsh language'' against Rehman, who is supposed to be very close to the premier, and issued a show cause notice to him, asking his explanation in writing for yesterday's conduct in the lower house. The government, in fact, faced a tough time in both houses of parliament yesterday as an allegation about the government's move to curtailthe power of the upper house led to strong reaction from the opposition benches in senate. The allegation was levelled by Qazi Anwar, a member of the Awami National Party which was the PML-N's alliance partner until six months ago.

He told the house that about a year ago Sharif had given a draft legislation to the ANP leadership for curtailing the powers of the senate. Incidentally, the PML-N, which has a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, has a weak presence in the senate and depends on the support of other parties for passage of bills from the upper house.