- Minister condemns Indian govt’s ‘killing spree’ in Indian-held Kashmir
- Leads Opp down the garden path, says ‘govt serious over TORs’
- Govt convening parliamentary committee meeting shortly to end deadlock on Panama Leaks
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid has held the Azad Jammu and Kashmir chief election commissioner and the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) responsible for the clashes that have left at least three people dead and 15 injured on the two sides ahead of elections.
Rashid also told media personnel that the government is serious in ending the deadlock with the opposition over the formulation of the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the Panama Leaks probe and is convening the Parliamentary Committee’s meeting shortly in this regard.
“The government is convening the parliamentary committee meeting and efforts will be made to reach a consensus with the opposition on the strategy to settle the issue,” Rashid said while talking to media on Sunday.
He said that the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are not with the opposition anymore, adding that now the government’s six members in the committee have one thought on the issue while only three members of the opposition have a different thought.
The information minister took strong exception to the reports of huge expenses incurred on the Pakistan International Airline (PIA)’s special flight which brought the prime minister, his family members and the PM’s staff members from London to Pakistan, “How come one flight from London costs Rs 400 million,” he questioned.
To a question he said that despite the prime minister’s privilege to pay off the expenditures occurred on his medical treatment abroad from the national exchequer, he had refused to avail this facility and both his sons had paid the medical bill from their pockets.
To another question, he said the nation has already rejected those who believe in ‘dharna politics’, adding the nation will reject them in future too as they did in the past.
PML-N WORKERS ARE BEING KILLED AND AJK PM IS OVERSEEING THE MASSACRE:
Pervaiz Rashid told media representatives that the chief election commissioner of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is responsible for the killings of political workers and added that he had failed in fulfilling his responsibilities.
He said that the chief elections commissioner should dismiss the corrupt executive officers and replace them with honest and impartial officials.
He said the lethal crackdown on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) protesters by the Pakistan People’s Party-led Azad Kashmir government had made free and fair elections in the region impossible.
The minister alleged that civilians in Azad Kashmir were being massacred under the supervision of the current prime minister of Azad Kashmir, who is a PPP stalwart. He said weapons were being used to silence the voice of Kashmiris, and accused the PPP’s current leadership in Azad Kashmir of killing PML-N workers and supporters. “Look who is committing crimes in Azad Kashmir?” he questioned. “Two of our workers have been martyred by the PPP leadership,” he alleged.
Pervaiz Rashid said that the PML-N, due to its performance in the Centre and Punjab, will sweep the upcoming AJK elections and will launch several mega development projects after forming a government there. He said that on July 21, the people of AJK will express their confidence in the leadership of the PML-N as the government of the PPP did nothing during their five years in office in Azad Kashmir.
He also condemned the fresh killing spree in the occupied Kashmir by the Indian forces and demanded of the world community and international human rights organisations to take notice of the atrocities and put pressure on India to stop sate terrorism in the occupied territory and resolve the lingering Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.