–PTI leader says ex-dictator could not have left Pakistan without Nawaz Sharif’s approval
–Railways minister says govt allowed Musharraf to leave on court’s order
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique had a heated argument in the National Assembly on Thursday after the former said that former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf could not have left Pakistan without the approval of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Addressing the House, Qureshi said that Musharraf would not have been able to leave Pakistan unless his name was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL).
“Who removed his name from the ECL?” he asked. “His name was excluded by the Interior Ministry.” The Interior Ministry cannot take such a huge step without the permission of the prime minister, he asserted.
Qureshi also questioned the deposed PM’s claim that the chief of an intelligence agency had told him to “resign or go on a long vacation” during the 2014 PTI-PAT sit-in protest in the federal capital.
“If the head of any agency made such demand then why wasn’t any action taken against him after taking the army chief into confidence,” Qureshi asked.
Responding to Qureshi, Railways Minister Rafique said that Musharraf’s name was removed from the ECL on court orders.
“The political leadership needs to demonstrate maturity and refrain from steps that stoke intolerance and chaos in society,” he said, adding that difference of opinion is the beauty of democratic system but we should not spread hatred.
He said his party is not in favour of the disqualification of any political figure be it Jahangir Khan Tareen of PTI or any other leader. “Despite the ‘abusive language’ used by the PTI leadership during the 2014 sit-in, the mandate of the PTI’s members was protected and their resignations were not accepted by the NA speaker,” he said.
On Wednesday, beleaguered Nawaz Sharif had claimed that corruption references were framed against him as a punishment for his unwavering stance on civil supremacy — and particularly for filing a high treason case against former military dictator, General (r) Pervez Musharraf.
The PML-N supreme leader alleged that the purpose of the 2014 sit-in was to remove him from power so that a treason case against Musharraf could be dropped.
NA CONDEMNS INDIAN CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS:
Separately, the National Assembly passed a resolution “strongly condemning” the recent acts of unprovoked firing by the Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary (WB) which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of people.
It was moved by Suriya Asghar. The resolution also asked the government to extend necessary assistance to the victims’ families.
The House also passed a resolution “expressing its deep dismay” over the shooting incident at Santa Fe, Texas in the United States which claimed the lives of 10 students, including a Pakistani girl Sabika Sheikh.
It was moved by Pakistan People’s Party’s Shazia Marri. The resolution expressed “heartfelt condolences” with the family of Sabika Sheikh. Earlier, the house offered fateha for those martyred in recent acts of unprovoked firing by Indian troops on the LoC and WB.
The House has passed five bills. These included: The Banks (Nationalisation) (Amendment) Bill, 2018, the Investment Corporation of Pakistan (Repeal) Bill, 2018, The SBP Banking Services Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2017, The Loans for Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Purposes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and The Joint Maritime Information Organisation Bill, 2018.
State Finance Minister Rana Afzal Khan laid before the House the second quarterly report of the Board of Directors of State Bank of Pakistan on the state of the country’s economy for the year 2017-18.