The opposition on Thursday held a separate Senate session on the second consecutive day against the figures shared by the interior minister.
Sources told Pakistan Today that Pashtun leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai tried to persuade the protesting opposition to come to the chamber, but to no avail. Sources also said the opposition was all set to requisition the next session once the current session is prorogued to keep the boycott issue smoldering. “A requisition signed by a majority of opposition senators has been prepared,” sources said. The ongoing Senate session is likely to be prorogued today (Friday).
Speaking in the House, Nisar clarified his position over the statistics pertaining to civilian causalities in terrorism and said that he shared with the figures provided by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government. He also said that he had assured the opposition of rechecking the figures after they challenged the same.
“I repeated thrice in the House that I would recheck the figures with the provincial government but the opposition is making issue out of a non-issue,” he lamented.
The opposition parties in the Senate are protesting against Nisar’s statement in the House on October 30.
About peace talks with the TTP, Nisar assured the House that the country’s dignity and constitution would not be compromised in the process of pursuing peace. He lamented the attitude of a section of media which he believed reported without knowing facts. He told the House that no action by the Pakistan Army after the martyrdom of General Niazi was a clear indication that nobody wanted to derail the peace talks.
About Karachi law and order, he said the intelligence agencies had played a key role in the arrest of 9,000 criminals.
“The rest of the wanted persons are within our sight,” he added. He assured the members that Karachi operation would not be used as a tool against any political party. He said further no political party had created any hurdles in Karachi operation.
On the other side, the opposition remained firm in its stance that Nisar provided incorrect figures during the Senate session on September 30.
The unofficial session was chaired by PPP leader Ahmed Hussain. Senators of the PPP, the ANP and the PML-Q took part.
PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, on a point order, said the government should consider implementing recommendations of consensus resolution passed in the joint sitting of parliament on October 22, 2008 which says, “The government needs to emphasise a regional approach for resolving the current situation which is essentially regional in nature. A solution enjoying the support of regional countries will be sustainable.”
ANP Senator Shahi Syed said Pakistan was under threat from three kinds of drones. “The three types of drones include the one controlled by the US, the second one is ground drones and the third is the non-parliamentary behaviour drone,” he added.
