National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence Tuesday strongly condemned the hostile and threatening statement made by the US President Donald Trump and the top US Commander in Afghanistan Gen John W Nicholson.
In the resolution adopted by the parliamentary body, it rejected the claim of the US president regarding Pakistan’s providing safe haven for terrorists. It recorded that it was not in Pakistan but in Afghanistan that 40 per cent area was not under the control of the Afghan government.
The committee further rejected Trump’s claim that billions of dollars in aid had been spent on Pakistan, stating that Pakistan’s economy had suffered a loss of more than $123 billion in fight against terrorism. The body also strongly condemned the massacre of Burma Muslims by the Myanmar government and urged the United Nations and international community to condemn the massacre of the Burma Muslims and play their role in preventing atrocities against them.
The meeting chaired by MNA Shaikh Rohale Asghar considered ‘The National Centre for Countering Violent Extremism Bill, 2017’ in detail and observed that the said bill pertained to the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics and recommended it should be referred to the Cabinet Secretariat to determine the subject whether it pertains to the Ministry of Interior or Ministry of Defence.
The mover of the bill, MNA Romina Khursheed Alam, briefed the committee over the statement of objects and reasons of the bill. The minister and secretary Ministry of Defence also told the committee that the bill did not pertain to the Ministry of Defence as the internal security matters of the country fell within the domain of the Ministry of Interior.
They further expressed that it dealt with the establishment of National Centre for Countering Violent Extremism in the country. The meeting was attended by MNAs Isphanyar M Bhandara, Sheikh Muhammad Akram, Sardar Muhammad Shafqat Hayat Khan, Lt Col (Retd) Ghulam Rasool Sahi, Saeed Ahmed Khan Manais, Shaikh Fayyaz ud Din, Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar, Kishwer Zehra, Muhammad Ijaz ul Haq and officials of the ministry.
