Opposition Senators censure Nawaz statement

ISLAMABAD: Legislators in the Senate on Monday called for ensuring level-playing field for all political parties and cautioned that a managed general election might push the things beyond anybody’s control.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Muhammad Azam Swati said Nawaz statement on Bombai attack was a confession by no other than a man, who remained three-time prime minister, in order to save his skin from ongoing graft cases against him.

Senator repeatedly alleged Nawaz statement was a reflection of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s anti-Pakistan narrative. Swati said that Nawaz Sharif has been saying that he had kept some secrets close to his chest, and his recent statement could be one such secret which he wanted to use to save his skin. He demanded that the former prime minister be made accountable for his controversial statement before it is too late, as it is an attack on the sovereignty of the country.

Leader of the House Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq kept objecting to Swati’s speech besides demanding the chair to expunge some of his remarks against his party Quaid, acting Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwala, who was presiding over session, did not pay any heed to him.

“Nawaz Sharif is a history now. It’s a direct hit on our military which has rendered numerous sacrifices in war against terrorism. The Sharifs demand resignation of Javed Iqbal for tracking down the corrupt, but they’re mum about his predecessor as he was a corrupt blue-eyed”, he said.

Another PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz said that if perpetrators of Dawn leaks had been taken to task, this would not have happened. He continued that it is a violation of Official Secret Act, which we cannot let go.

“A country is like a mother, and there will be no compromise if someone speaks against your mother. By giving such an obnoxious statement, the three-time prime minister, has breached his oath besides putting the security of the country at stake,” he added.

He demanded a probe into the matter, saying this is just a small reflection of Sharif’s intentions about the country, which gave him identity and respect, in a bid to protect his ill-gotten wealth stashed in foreign banks.

There was also a strong call from senators for all the State institutions to remain within their constitutional limits and that political parties should show restraint and as well as the media. Taking part in the discussion on the current political situation, on a motion by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Senators Muhammad Usman Kakar and Sardar Muhammad Azam Musakhail, PML-N Senator Lt-Gen. ® Abdul Qayyum, who heads the House Standing Committee on Defence Production, laid emphasis on collective efforts to improve political situation in Pakistan.

Senator Abdul Qayyum pointed out that India had openly been talking about destabilising Balochistan and causing unrest in Karachi and the arrest of RAW spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was testimony to that.

PkMAP Senator Usman Kakar and Azam Musakhail lamented the reaction to what ex-PM Nawaz Sharif said the other day and noted that already ministers, the establishment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior had talked about the non-state actors and called for controlling them to avert deterioration of Pak-India relations.

They alleged that terrorists were nurtured in Fata under a bid to make Afghanistan, the fifth province of Pakistan. They called for putting an end to issuance of certificates of patriotism and being rebel. They insisted that the Parliament was the only competent institution to tag any one with patriotism or disloyalty to Pakistan.

The senators from Balochistan emphasised that there should be no interference in political affairs, as this would always lead to tug of war among the state institutions. They called for establishment of a commission to carry out accountability of all without any discrimination, including the military and judiciary and proposed summoning an all parties’ conference.

The opposition lawmakers in Senate especially Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday lambasted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his controversial statement and demanded to try him under “treason”, terming the move violation of Official Secret Act.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F), whose party is an ally of PML-N, also said that the statement was a direct hit on the security of the country, which his party condemns in the strongest possible terms. He demanded to hold a thorough probe into it to ascertain the motive behind it.

Another JUI-F Senator Talha Mehmood said that such a controversial statement at a time when an interim government is set to take over is beyond comprehension. He said that the country is already on the watch list of the international community and Sharif’s statement is like adding fuel to fire to further complicate things for his own vested interest.