Terrorism not be linked to ethnicity, nationality: NA

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Thursday adopted a unanimous resolution saying that terrorism should not be linked to any area or nationality.

The resolution recommending the government to ensure that no nationality or ethnicity was stereotyped as terrorist or evil. Earlier, the opposition in the National Assembly on Thursday voiced serious concerns over possible action by the Finance Action Task Force (FATF) to place Pakistan on the watch-list of financing of terrorism.

“The FATF is going to take up a resolution against Pakistan on February 18 whereas the government is focusing only on its narrative of Mujhay Kion Nikala,” Dr Shireen Mazari of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said while speaking on a point of order.

The PTI parliamentarian said the expected resolution in FATF to be jointly moved by the United States, Germany, UK and France speaks about failure of the present government’s foreign policy.

She said that practically the incumbent government had no foreign policy, rather its focus was only on ‘Mujhay Kion Nikala’. She said that the opposition time and again had pointed out that the government had been failing in its diplomacy.

“This is shameful that we have no foreign policy,” Dr Mazari said. She regretted following arrest of the Indian spy Kulbhushan, the Pakistan government had not been able to make the world realise that India was involved in sponsoring terrorism.

But she said the situation was otherwise as India had been successful in presenting its narrative at the international level emphasising that Pakistan would get mired in serious crisis once it was placed on the watchlist. The PTI member also wanted the government to give a statement on the floor of the House.

Mehmood Khan Achakzi, an ally of the government said that present government’s concerned minister should take Parliament into confidence. He said that this government should have taken Parliament into confidence on it.

The chair asked the government to apprise the house on this important issue on Friday. Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzda, on behalf of government, said that the government would surely share its stance. He said the Minister for Foreign Affairs was not in country but soon the House would be taken into confidence.