PPP to raise Swat militancy issue in cabinet: Sherry

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday said Pakistan People’s Party condemns the rise of militancy in Swat and the party will raise the issue in the federal cabinet.

Addressing a press conference along with Central Information Secretary PPP Faisal Karim Kundi and PPP’s Media coordinator Nazir Dhoki, Sherry Rehman said: “Our armed forces and civilians have paid a huge price fighting a war over the last few decades.”

Islam does not allow attacking schools and children, not even humanity allows it, says Sherry, adding, “We have paid the price, and we have won a war for which we never received any recognition.”

Karim Kundi held the provincial government responsible for the new wave of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To a question, Sherry said PPP has not yet taken any action against senior leader Aitzaz Ahsan for making statements against the party line, but admitted that the office bearers of PPP Central Punjab demanded action against him.

The PPP leaders termed PTI chairman Imran Khan as a power hungry and supported the coalition government for its handling of possible long march, saying Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will handle PTI’s long march and he knows how to handle it.

“We also protested from Karachi to Islamabad in the past but we never damaged a single tree,” said the climate change minister. She said Imran Khan as prime minister used to claim that PTI government was on same page with the establishment, adding that now he called himself as powerless prime minister.

Speaking about the PPP meeting at Zardari House under the chair of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the climate change minister said Bilawal directed the party leaders to focus on providing relief to 33 million people. “There are 20 million people who are still in immediate need, and UN agencies on ground are astounded by the scale of this flood, calling it unprecedented,” she said. Kundi said the government allocated Rs70 billion support to flood victims from BISP. Of them, Rs67.1 billion were already distributed.