ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto on Thursday stressing Parliament’s supremacy called for setting up parliamentary security committee to oversee the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).
“The parliament must support the government in the battle against terrorism,” he said in a brief address at a reception hosted by Opposition leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan at the Parliament house on Thursday evening.
Bilawal also had interaction with all the senators belonging to both the side of aisle of the Upper House of Parliament. In his brief five-minute address at the reception hosted by Aitzaz Ahsan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the NAP should be implemented in letter and spirit and that there should be a parliamentary security committee to continuously oversee the implementation of NAP.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the Parliament must play its role in countering terrorism. “Parliament must ensure that people get their rights; electoral reforms, Fata reforms take place and implementation of the NAP ensured ambitiously,” he added.
He stressed the need for the supremacy of Parliament. “We have to make sure we do not repeat mistakes of the past as democracy has been achieved after many sacrifices,” the young PPP chairman said.
He said Parliament must come up to the expectations of the people of Pakistan. He added that Parliament had solution to every problem, be it economic or terrorism. He said the military and Parliament had a key role in war against terrorism as besides military front the war against terrorism was also a battle of the mindset . “Parliament must ensure taking care of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and expedite their safe return to their homes with dignity and honour so that they could not be exploited by any other mindset,” he added.
He said Parliament had to assert its supremacy.He said it was vital to eliminate the mindset in order to end terrorism, adding that lessons would have to be learnt from the past.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on his arrival also visited the chamber of Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, who was officiating as acting president.
After a brief speech, Bilawal Bhutto shook hands with all the senators that included Deputy Chairman Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, PML-N parliamentary leader in the Senate Mushahidullah, Senator Col (R) Tahir Mashahdi of MQM, Senator Ilyas Bilour of the ANP, Senator Lt General Abdul Qayaum of PML-N, Senator Lt General Salahuddin Tirmizi of PML (N), Senator Syed Muzzafar Shah of PML-F besides senators belonging to the PPP and former chairman Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari.
Following the interaction with the parliamentarians, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also met media. Welcoming PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was representing the young generation of the politicians and they had great confidence in future generations that would guide the coming generations in the coming years and decades.
He said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a glorious past of politics that had been left by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “Bilawal Bhutto Zardari represents future of Pakistan and this generation that we look up for coming years and decades,’ he added.Earlier before visiting Parliament House, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held separate meetings with Argentinean Ambassador Rodolfo J Martine-Saravia and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Abdullah Marzouk Al-Zahrani at Zardari House Islamabad on Thursday.
They discussed matters of mutual interests of Pakistan with their respective countries. Senator Sherry Rehman and former Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi were also present in these meetings.