Afghanistan issue: In-camera joint sitting of both houses of Parliament demanded

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party on Monday demanded in-camera joint sitting of both the houses of parliament on the Afghanistan issue.

"It seems the government is sleeping on the issue of Afghanistan. We demand that the government should convene an in-camera joint sitting of both the houses of parliament to take them into confidence," said PPP Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi and Secretary Information PPP Parliamentarians Shahzia Atta Marri while addressing a press conference here on Monday.

Shazia Marri said the recent federal government's budget was an anti-people budget and also caused worrying even among the salaried class. She said the incompetent federal government had promised 10 percent increase in salaries but didn't fulfil the promise while inflation has been increasing day-by-day.

She said the government has levied tax on medical allowances and betrayed the agriculture sector by leving 17 percent tax on cotton seed, adding the PTI-led government has presented the federal budget on the dictation of the International Monetary Fund and as per the IMF directions soon the price of the petroleum products would be increased. Shazia Marri said by the end of November, there will be Rs 2.8 trillion circular debt and every Pakistani is now indebted to Rs2.5 lakh in the country due to bad economic policies of the PTI-led government. She said the Finance Bill would be presented in the National Assembly for its passage, adding “the government has an army of clowns."

She said the people are fed up with the PTI government and those who voted in favour of the PTI are feeling that they had committed a big mistake. She said the representatives of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) had written a letter to the prime minister to record his reservations about the minister's statement that the media was being controlled by the government.

About Imran Khan's recent statement on women's attire, she said Imran Khan has no need to tell the Pakistani women about their clothes. "I feel sorry for the women who have become the spokespersons of the prime minister. No concessions should be given to those who are involved in child abuse and rape cases in the country", she added.

She said we want good relations with neighboring countries, but Modi's hands are stained with the blood of Muslims. “Prime Minster Imran Khan on his return from a visit to the US said the Kashmir issue had been resolved, but it is still not resolved,” she said.

She said Pakistan being a nuclear country has avoided many dangers and the Pakistani nation will not compromise on the country's nuclear programme.

Shazia Marri said the first written agreement with NATO was carried out during the PPP government and there was no agreement took place with NATO under Pervez Musharraf's rule. PPP Secretary Information Faisal Karim Kundi has said the federal ministers are unable to sleep due to Bilawal Bhutto's visit to Kashmir, therefore, they are talking against Bilwal Bhutto in their speeches.