PM should take House into confidence on foreign visits, says Shahbaz

RAWALPINDI: The National Assembly (NA) passed two bills on Monday including Foreign Exchange Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and The Anti-Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

The bills were moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Ali Muhammad Khan on behalf of Adviser to Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. During the preceding Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif said that the Prime Minister Imran Khan should take the House into confidence regarding his recent meetings with world leaders during his visit to US in connection with Kashmir issue. He said that he hoped that the prime minister would attend today’s session and would inform the House about the details of his meetings in US but he did not come. Shahbaz Sharif made request to Imran Khan through National Assembly Speaker to ask him to come and take the House into confidence in this regard.

While the government on floor of the National Assembly offered to address grievances of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) if its leadership has pro-Pakistan agenda. “We will go to all levels to meet their demands if they raise slogan of Pakistan,” the interior minister said, adding the government is ready to sit with them if they wanted to become a mainstream political party.

The offer came from three members of the federal cabinet including the Interior Minister Ejaz Shah, Minister for Defence Pervaiz Khattak and Minister for Communication Murad Saeed in response to speech of Mohsin Dawar, the PTM parliamentarian who made his first appearance since his release on bail in case of attacking security forces in North Waziristan. Another PTM parliamentarian Ali Wazir who was also release on bail in the same case also attended National Assembly proceedings on Monday.

Interior minister said it was Prime Minister Imran Khan who regardless of all security threats, visited Wana, saying that he would hear to demands of people who had given sacrifices. “The prime minister picked up courage to address people in Wana and hear to their demands,” he said.

Interior minister said that tribal areas now have come into mainstream where extensive development work would take place. “The task will be much easier for us if you also support our work,” the minister addressing the PTM parliamentarians said, adding whether they admit or not Fata is now in mainstream of Pakistan and development would take place there.

Ejaz Shah, while tracing back the history, said the PTM was created against those whom Mohsin Dawar was thanking for demanding his production orders. He said that what charges were against PTM members and what words they used against armed forces was also very much documented. “We have been victims of conspiracies but now enough is enough,” the minister said, adding no Pakistani should be used by any anti-Pakistan elements.

He said the government was ready to hear demands of PTM but he regretted that the PTM never met the KP chief minister whenever he invites them. Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak also maintained that the government would hear demands of PTM if their agenda is Pakistan. “But there will be no talks with them if they speak against armed forces and they want to deteriorate law and order situation.

Minister for Communication Murad Saeed, while responding to allegations from Mohsin Dawar recalled that Imran Khan was first one in 2004 who spoke against operation in tribal areas. Further giving response to the PTM parliamentarian, the minister questioned as to why the NDS, the Afghan agency wanted to hand over dead body of martyred police office Tahir Dawar to PTM and not the Pakistan government. He said that Mohsin Dawar has recently admitted that he and Imtiaz Dawar who work for the Afghan government used to be in the same organisation. Murad Saeed advised the PTM leadership to stop doing politics on dead bodies and work for the national interests.

Earlier, the PTM member Mohsin Dawar claimed that they were wrongly nominated in the FIR. He also demanded justice for those who were killed in firing in North Waziristan on May 25. “We were nominated in the FIR but who is responsible for killing of 15 people,” he said.

He alleged that the prime minister said that al-Qaeda and terrorists were invented by Pakistan. “Who will take them to task to who invented these people and who will do justice with people who were martyred by terrorists,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan should give answers of these questions to the nation.

Ali Wazir of PTM said that it were the common man who suffered the most in operations in tribal areas. “We were never provided the list of terrorists who were killed in these operations,” he said. Ali Wazir responding to offer of talks first the government should commit that nobody would be deceived when they sit together.