Gen Raheel should not accept extension in tenure: Kaira

KARACHI: Central Information Secretary of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Qamar Zaman Kaira on Saturday expressed the hope that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif would not accept an extension in his tenure as Pakistan Army chief after he had himself announced earlier that he would retire on the scheduled date.

“Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has earned respect for himself and the Pakistan Army through his character and professionalism. He had himself announced that he would not accept an extension in his tenure and I hope he would not accept any such offer," he said while addressing a news conference at the PPP Media Cell in Karachi.

Accompanied by Sindh Minister Nisar Khuhro, Senator Saeed Ghani, Aajiz Dhamra and others, the PPP central leader said party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had summoned him today and directed to fully participate in the protest by Pakistan Kisan Tehreek on September 28 in Lahore. “The government has completely destroyed the agricultural sector and broken the backbone of Pakistani farmers," he lamented.

He said Punjab’s farming community has decided to wage a massive protest against the government policies in Lahore on the 28th of this month and on the directives of the chairman, PPP would fully participate in the protest.

Karia alleged that every segment of the society was busy in protesting against the present government’s anti-people policies including teachers while Pakistan’s internal and external debts were growing with each passing day. But the government is taking special steps in completely destroying the agricultural sector of Pakistan, he alleged.

Demanding imposition of agricultural emergency in the country to save the agricultural sector, Qamar Zaman Kaira demanded of the government to exempt the agricultural sector from all types of taxes including GST and provide heavily subsidised electricity, diesel, fertilizers and seeds to prevent the farming community from complete destruction.

Responding to a query, he termed the PTI’s decision to go to Raiwind as ‘Imran’s personal decision’ and added that the opposition parties were not united against the government as they all were launching their own but separate movements against the government.

Commenting on the situation of held-Kashmir, he urged the international community to take stock of Indian atrocities in Kashmir where curfew is now imposed for three months and people are living without the basic necessities of life.

Strongly condemning the threatening statements of Indian PM Modi, Kaira said war was not a solution to any problem but if war is imposed on Pakistan, the PPP and the entire nation would be out to defend their motherland.

He said the joint opposition would present a bill in the Senate on Panama Papers while a resolution would also be presented in the Sindh Assembly for taking action against all those whose names had appeared in the Panama Leaks.