Criticising the letter of the Country Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to the prime minister regarding concerns over food security and the devolution process, Implementation Commission on 18th Amendment Chairman Raza Rabbani on Tuesday said it was a “blatant interference” in the country’s internal affairs.
“It (the letter) was a blatant interference in the affairs of the country and it would not be accepted at any cost. We will not take dictation from any foreign agency or country about our internal issues. If someone has reservations, he must approach the government and writing a letter is not appropriate,” Rabbani said in the Senate after submitting a report on of the Implementation Commission’s activities from May 4, 2010 to April 2011.
Rabbani said the FAO representative had recommended to the prime minister in the letter that there should be more ministries to resolve the issue of national food security as the devolution process could cause more problems in this regard. Meanwhile, some members again hit the government hard for not issuing any policy statement over the killing of Osama Bin Laden in an operation by US forces in Abbottabad.
Speaking on a point of order, Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed said the incident had occurred Monday night but the government had not issued any policy statement even on after the passage of two days. He said reluctance on part of the government engendered suspicions and the government must explain facts. He also said the members who had to speak on the presidential address to the joint session of the parliament either were absent or did not want to speak and it meant that the president did not enjoy the trust of the House.
Dr Imsmail Buledi said the government’s stance had not been expressed regarding the killing of Osama. He said the US had no right to attack any place in the country as Pakistan was a sovereign state and the government should explain if the US government had taken any approval from Pakistan prior to the operation. Speaking on the issue of worsening law and order in Balochistan and Karachi, Buledi said mutilated bodies were being dumped across Balochistan every day and no one knew who was behind the killings. He said the situation in Karachi was also alarming and the government must take action immediately.
Responding to the points of order, Leader of the House in the Senate Nayyer Hussain Bukhari said Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan would brief the Upper House about killing of Osama and the members would be taken into confidence over the issue. Raising another point of order, ANP Senator Zahid Khan said the president gave extensions to some judges, whereas the decision by the Parliamentary Committee on the appointment of judges had been rejected by the apex court. Zahid Khan said parliament was supreme and it had the right to amend the constitution.
“If parliament’s recommendations are bound to meet such fate, then there is no need of such a committee,” Zahid Khan said. Dr Khalid Soomro said no action had been taken about the death of four nationalist political workers who had been tortured and burnt alive in Sanghar on April 21.
Raising another point of order, Prof Ibrahim said the people of Chitral were agitated over the stoppage of work at Lowari Tunnel, demanding the government explain why funds had been stopped. Replying to the issue, Minister for Communication Arbab Alamgir conceded that there was a shortage of funds but the government had spent Rs 5.25 billion on the project so far.
