Treasury benches to become vacant if ‘fisadis’ sent to space: Khursheed

ISLAMABAD: The Opposition Leader in the National Assembly (NA), Syed Khursheed Shah, while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday took a strong exception to a statement of the Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and said the government benches will become vacant if in view of the minister's suggestion, the ‘fisadi politicians’ are sent to space.

Khursheed Shah, while pointing out that Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), has sought the politicians’ data of five years to take them to space but proposed that the data of three to four months would be sufficient.

Khursheed Shah while ridiculing the statement of the information minister said it is good suggestion that Suparco would send the ‘fisadi politicians’ to space and never allow them back. “But I fear if the suggestion is implemented, all the government benches will be empty if they started fisad (chaos) in the country,” he said. The PPP leader said they were not ‘fisadis’ rather they were peace-loving people. “They created fisad (chaos) and we use to bring them down from the container time and again,” he said. Further criticising the PTI government, he said the government has changed the name of Benazir Bhutto airport to Islamabad airbase whereas the old airport building was still called the Noor Khan airbase. “But nobody can forget the name of Benazir Bhutto if it comes to remembering her services for democracy. “They used to say country as ‘Quaid-e-Azam ka Pakistan’ which now has become ‘Naya Pakistan’,” he said.

On the occasion, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said the government would seriously consider proposal from Khursheed Shah to send politicians to space. Later, talking informally to newsmen, the information minister said he will stick to his statement. “I have suggested an easy solution to problems,” the minister said adding the package which the former opposition leader received from the last government should also be checked. He said he had given an easy solution which would cleanse the soil from ‘fisadis,’ saying the Opposition people could also fulfil their desire to meet the ‘aliens’. “There are two to three people in every political party who create ‘fisad’,” he said.

It may be pointed out that Fawad Chaudhry while talking to newsmen on Monday said he would ask Suparco to take those who create ‘fisad’ on earth to space. “This is also good cure for some politicians so Pakistan gets rid of them," he had said.

The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan while responding to the concerns of Khursheed Shah, said the government is ready to address the PPP’s reservations about not naming the New International Airport of Islamabad after Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. Responding to point raised by PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah, he said Benazir Bhutto played a pivotal role in promotion of democracy in Pakistan and her services in this regard are unmatched. He said Benazir Bhutto is the leader of the entire nation instead of the PPP only. He assured that the government would take opposition, including PML-N into confidence over the issue of renaming the airport.