Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi Friday said Sindh is an important unit of the Federation of Pakistan, adding that the federal government will not cause any issue for the provincial government.
“Federal government holds the constitution in high esteem and will continue to do so. It will not cause any issue for the Sindh government,” the minister said while addressing the National Assembly.
Minister for Law Farogh Naseem has already clarified that his statement on Karachi was distorted, he noted. All concerns should end after the clarification of the minister, he said, and acknowledged that Pakistan People’s Party has always stressed on the importance of the Federation.
Qureshi said everybody recognises the role of Sindh for the stability of the country. “It is not appropriate on the part of Bilawal Bhutto to talk of Sindhu Desh or Pakhtunistan while succumbing to political pressures,” he maintained. “We have no intentions to mess with your government for no reason,” he assured.
Responding to opposition member Khawaja Asif who raised the issue of production orders for detained assembly members, the minister said the issue is directly related to Speaker National Assembly and should have been discussed in his chamber. He said the opposition protested throughout the speech of the president during the joint session of the parliament on Thursday and made production orders a priority issue instead of giving preference to Kashmir.
Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan will be the voice of Pakistan, Kashmiris and the parliament on the issue of Kashmir during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27. He said Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has effectively taken up the Kashmir issue across the world. As many as 58 countries during the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council endorsed the Pakistan stance on Kashmir issue, he said.
Earlier on a point of order, MNA Asad Umer took up the statement made by PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari on the floor of the House during a previous session about people who migrated to Pakistan from areas now in India. He said Muslims living in areas now in India made a contribution with regard to creation of Pakistan. “These Muslims helped Muslim League win elections of Central Legislative Assembly in 1946 … all 30 seats for Muslims in the legislature were won by Muslim League,” he said, adding that the Muslim League also won majority seats in the provincial assemblies at that time.
Asad said Muslims secured their own country and were saved from the tyranny of Hindus who are now mistreating them in India. He warned that people should not be divided on the basis of religion, ethnicity and language.
PPP leader Syed Khurshid Shah said Muslims wanted an independent state and the assemblies of Sindh and Bengal passed resolutions for creation of Pakistan. Pakistan is a blessing and the basis of identity for everybody and people from all provinces and ethnicities are Pakistanis first, he remarked. He said GM Syed was a loyal and hardcore Muslim Leaguer but due to differences, he left the party. During the elections before the partition, Muslim League won majority in Sindh assembly and later its members passed a resolution in favour of Pakistan, he added.
Khurshid Shah said Pakistan is a Federation and Karachi is the face of Pakistan as people from all over the country live there. He criticized those who are politicizing the issue of garbage in Karachi.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan assured the House that the cabinet will discuss the issue of working journalists who are not getting salaries despite release of advertisement dues of the media owners by the government. He said he will talk to Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on the issue of salaries of media persons. Media owners get 85 percent of dues for their advertisements from the private sector and 15 percent from the government so their excuses are not valid, he added.
PML-N leader Khawaja Asif raised the matter of issuance of production orders of the opposition members and said the Supreme Court had given a verdict in favour of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi when he was in prison in 2002. The production orders of Asif Ali Zardari, Saad Rafique, Rana Sanaullah and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi should be issued, he said, adding that his party will be compelled to approach the Supreme Court if the issue of production orders is not settled by the speaker.
He said the government should not legislate through ordinances. He expressed concerns over the state of country’s economy. He asked the government to bring back the wealth which it claimed was parked in the foreign countries.
MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said his party leader Asif Zardari wants to explain his statement on Sindh on the floor of the House. He said there is no law and order situation and economy of Sindh in better shape so there should not be talk of imposing Article 149 of the Constitution to give direct control of Karachi to the federal government.
