Campaign against armed forces: NA resolves to take action against malicious elements

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution demanding the federal government to take action against elements running a malicious campaign against the institution of armed forces and other security institutions.

The resolution, moved by Ahmad Hussain Daher of PTI, said the government should use its powers to force such elements who, intentionally or unintentionally, become tools of the Hindu and Jewish lobby to run a malicious campaign against custodians of the country, to give up their agenda.

“It is the need of the hour that the government should come into action and make such elements an example if they do not give up their agenda to fulfil the designs of country’s enemies,” the resolution said.

The House also acknowledged the services and sacrifices of officers of the armed forces in defence of the country and strongly condemned highly inappropriate, immoral, illegal, baseless and negative campaigns by a particular group against them. “This House wants to announce categorically that the whole nation fully stands behind the armed forces and institution,” the resolution said.

Meanwhile, the parliamentarians from Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf threatened to boycott the proceedings of the National Assembly and stage a protest if the government did not address the problems of growers of sugarcane and wheat crop. The parliamentarians representing the growers community registered a protest in the House against the delay in the start of crushing of sugarcane and delay in announcement of the support price of sugarcane and wheat.

Speaking on a point of order, Rana Ishaq Khan of PMLN regretted that the sugar mills were yet to start crushing sugarcane, which should have commenced on the first of this month while the support price of the crop was also not announced. He also warned that farmers’ community would stop growing sugarcane from the next season and owners of sugar mills would have to sell their factory units for scrap. He said that they would be forced to boycott the proceedings of the House if the demands of growers’ community were not met.

Earlier, Nawab Sher also demanded the start of crushing season by sugar mills, saying the provincial government of Punjab and KP were not allowing the mills to start their operations. He pointed out the Sindh government announced to fix the support price of wheat at Rs4,000 whereas Punjab government is contemplating Rs3,000 per 40 kilograms.

PMLN parliamentarian Moeen Wattoo also supported the views of the two members, saying that instead of spending foreign exchange on imported wheat which, he said, is comparatively of poor quality, incentives should be extended to local growers.

On the demand of parliamentarians, the Speaker, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, announced to convene a special committee meeting on agriculture in the Parliament House on Friday afternoon to resolve the issues raised by them.

Speaking on a point of order, Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said the PTI leadership would not be allowed to dislodge the sitting government on the basis of fake narrative of cipher and any other conspiracy. “You cannot dislodge the incumbent government through the long march, sit-in and on the basis of any fake narrative,” he said. He assured that ‘Fitna-e- Imrania’ would be nipped in the bud and Imran Khan would not be allowed to dislodge the government.

He said that Imran Khan would have to answer many questions in the coming days and he would be held accountable for purchasing the Toshakhana gifts at throwaway prices and misusing the flood funds raised through telethons.