- PPP leaders share past moves and actions; PTI tries to play blame game as per routine
In a surprise move, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers came down hard over former Pakistan ambassador to United States Husain Haqqani for what they called stabbing Pakistan in the back by ensuring maximum number of CIA spooks on ground in across the country, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) joined hands to urge for ignoring him (Haqqani) who had become nobody in the US.
While Haqqani was subject to critique from both treasury and opposition benches, the PPP lawmakers made a failed effort by distancing their leadership with Haqqani with opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah saying that Haqqani had been replaced with Sherry Rehman as soon as his controversial role had surfaced in the US raid in Abbottabad.
The PPP lawmakers said that Haqqani was currently unemployed and hence he was making efforts to get attention of the new US administration under President Donald Trump. Shah said that he (Haqqani) was appointed as Pakistan’s envoy in Washington by the PPP government but later he was removed and Sherry Rehman was appointed. He suggested there was no need to give importance to Haqqani and one must move forward.
He said that Haqqani, following Abbottabad incident in 2011, in a statement had said that Pakistan did not have any knowledge about presence of Osama bin Laden in the country. But the most valuable and balanced comment was made by PML-N lawmaker Sardar Awais Khan Leghari who also joined into support the idea raised by Shah. He said that the statement of Husain Haqqani should not be given importance as the former envoy had made the groundless statement just to play to the galleries.
“By making such highly controversial statement, Mr Haqqani aims at fooling the world. He wants to deliver goods for the lobbies working for the Indian interests in the US. All political parties need to shrug off the statement of Haqqani and no one may even give him any importance,” said Leghari who also is chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. He said that even the Trump administration should take notice of the statement of Mr Haqqani who was creating misunderstandings between Pakistan and the US.
Another PML-N lawmaker Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar was of the view that the contents of the article written by Husain Haqqani were condemnable and his claims had no iota of realty. PTI’s leader Dr Arif Alvi said that Husain Haqqani used his article as a tool for mud-slinging against Pakistan. He was of the view that he (Haqqani) had tried to stab the country in the back. He urged the PPP leadership to tender an apology to the nation for appointing Haqqani as envoy to the US who had then facilitated creation of a network of hundreds of CIA spies in across Pakistan.
Sheikh Salahuddin of the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said that such assertions from Husain Haqqani should have been avoided had the Abbottabad Commission report made public. On the occasion, Shah raised the issue of murder of a PPP leader Babar Sohail Butt in Lahore and termed that the government was involved in the daylight murder.
He said a few days back , Babar Butt had reported that he was receiving life threats and was being pressurised to join the ruling party. He said that the PPP would not budge to such target killings and all measures would be adopted to protest against such acts of terrorism. Later, the PPP lawmakers staged walkout from the House in protest to the remarks of a state minister on the murder of the PP leader. The house remained suspended for around half hour due to lack of quorum which was pointed out by MNA Noman Islam Shaikh.
Also, the lawmakers from treasury and opposition registered their protest against the failure to block the blasphemous content available over the social media sites and demanded of the government to take immediate action. It was none other than the son-in-law of the prime minister who called for putting a blanket ban on the social media sites.
In his speech, Muhammad Safdar demanded a total ban on social media sites carrying the blasphemous content. He held his own party’s government responsible for failing to implement the Cyber Crimes Law even after the matter of blasphemous material came to the fore. “Why minister concerned and PTA are not taking action on it,” he said in an emotional tone. He also warned anarchy-like-situation in the country if appropriate measures were not taken.
JUI-F leader Qamaruddin asked the government to take proper measures against the blasphemous content. “This matter needs to be resolved immediately. This is unacceptable,” he said. PPP leader Shazia Marri called for a cautious approach over the issue, saying that enticing mobs was not wise. She said that the act of an individual and personal opinion needs to be respected. She demanded proper implementation on the National Action Plan (NAP) to avoid such incidents. Tahir Iqbal said that the government should take proper measures to settle the matter.
