–NA Opp leader accuses PM of giving NRO to sister Aleema Khan who recently declared Dubai property
–Shehbaz slams PM’s ‘U-turn’ remarks, says Imran doesn’t realise negative effect of his statements
–Govt and Opp united in condemning terror attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi
ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday challenged Prime Minister Imran Khan to disclose the name of the person who said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif wanted an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
The NRO was a controversial ordinance passed by former president and military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf in 2007 under which different politicians charged with embezzlement and corruption between 1986 and 1999 were granted amnesty.
Speaking in the House, the opposition leader took a jibe at PM Imran that he has given an NRO to his sister, Aleema Khan, who owned property in Dubai and recently deposited half of her property’s total cost with tax authorities as a penalty for not declaring her offshore assets.
Shehbaz demanded: “Who were these people who said Nawaz Sharif sought an NRO? The prime minister should enlighten us.”
Attacking PM Imran for “threatening” his party members, Shehbaz declared: “We have been through this before, having faced dictatorship and persecution in the past. Who exactly are you threatening?”
He also urged the PM to “stop using threatening language”. “This is only hurting Pakistan,” he added.
Referring to PM Imran’s recent statement that a true leader is one who takes U-turns, he added that if taking U-turns is a trait of our leaders, then no one will trust our word.
“The prime minister seems to be unaware of the negative impact of his statement. If he keeps on issuing such remarks, then he will have no credibility left.”
Claiming that the premier’s statement had baffled him and 200 million people of Pakistan, he questioned: How will the world accept his statement then? Yet, he is adamant.”
“The prime minister was correct in whatever he said, but he needs to speak more carefully. He talks as if he’s still standing on top of a container,” Shehbaz concluded.
OPP, GOVT CONCUR CONSULATE ATTACK ATTEMPT TO SABOTAGE RELATIONS:
On the other hand, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Shehbaz concurred that the attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi was an attempt to botch relations between the two countries.
They were referring to a failed attempt by three terrorists to enter the consulate on Friday morning. The three assailants were killed while two security guards and two passersby were martyred during the clash.
Condemning the terror attack, the foreign minister said that “certain elements” were unhappy at the economic activity brought in by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, and were trying to undermine peace and economic activity in Pakistan.
However, he added that Pak-China friendship is strong and the two countries will not let it be a victim to such “nefarious designs”.
Paying tribute to the martyred policemen, FM Qureshi told the House that they were killed while attempting to stop an attacker from detonating his suicide jacket.
He added that the terrorists wanted to “create a hostage situation” which was foiled by the security staff.
“There were 21 Chinese staff members inside the consulate at the time of the attack, and they have all been shifted to a secure location,” he told the House.
Earlier, the foreign minister revealed to reporters outside the Parliament House building that he has spoken to the Chinese consul general, and the ambassador and they are both satisfied with the response from Pakistani security forces.
‘CHINA AMONG FEW COUNTRIES SINCERE WITH PAKISTAN’:
Meanwhile, Shehbaz also condemned the attack and asserted that there were elements who could not bear a prosperous relationship between the two countries and wanted to jeopardize it.
He also paid tribute to Sindh Police and the Rangers for foiling the attack promptly.
Speaking of the friendship between the two countries, the opposition leader stressed: “China is among the few countries who have lent their support to Pakistan in harsh times.”
“You can ask around from Peshawar to Karachi. No one has any suspicions over China’s time-tested dedication to Pakistan along with other friendly countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.”
Commenting on CPEC, he added that it will go on to be an economically beneficial project. Acknowledging the positive comments of the foreign minister pertaining to the project, he criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for issuing negative statements in the past which “made the project controversial”.
He concluded his remarks by stressing: “Pakistan needs to send a clear message to its opponents that we are all united against them and their evil intentions.”