ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday passed a resolution with consensus condemning the grave human rights violations in the held Kashmir, urging the international community to play its role in resolving the longstanding issue.
The resolution expressed serious concern over the killing of 14 Kashmiris and injuring of 200 others by the Indian security forces in Pulwama district.
It saluted and expressed complete solidarity with brave Kashmiri people who have been engaged in peaceful protests to demand their right to self-determination.
It said the brutal tactics of occupation authorities cannot deter Kashmiris’ genuine demand for freedom.
It also welcomed the statement of the OIC on the human rights situation in Occupied Kashmir. It urged the government of India to bring an end to all human rights violations and state terrorism, lift the restrictions on press and internet and give the rights to people in Occupied Kashmir. The resolution reiterated that Pakistan will continue providing diplomatic, moral and political support to Kashmiris in their just struggle for freedom.
Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said the PTI government will devise a comprehensive and robust policy to highlight the issue of Kashmir at every world forum. She argued that the country’s Kashmir policy has not been vibrant since the last several years, due to which India could not be pressurised effectively.
She said successive governments did not raise this issue vociferously at the relevant international forums. Mazari said the report of UN Human Rights Office on human rights violations is a welcoming development and it was long overdue. She said the country must give the world a conflict resolution model to resolve the decades’ long issue.
Speaking in the house, PPP Leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said political parties across the spectrum are united in condemning the gross human rights violations in occupied Kashmir. He said the PPP leadership always raised the issue of Kashmir very strongly to rid the people of Kashmir from Indian occupation.
IMPLEMENTATION OF NAP:
The house also passed a unanimous resolution condemning the atrocities and killings of innocent children at Army Public School (APS) Peshawar in 2014 and reiterated to implement National Action Plan (NAP) comprehensively.
Both resolutions were moved forward by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan.
Referring to the war on terror, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the APS incident can never be forgotten in which innocent children were martyred by terrorists. He said his party has a clear stance against the scourge of terrorism as the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was martyred in a terrorist attack. He said the Pakistani nation is brave and resilient and will successfully defeat this evil.
Taking the floor, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said the nation is united to defeat the menace of terrorism. He said the tragic incident of terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar in 2014 brought the whole nation together to curtail this scourge. Pakistan Army launched successful operations against the hideouts of terrorists and successfully neutralized them. He said our valiant security forces have made the country a cradle of peace due to their uncountable sacrifices.
Shahbaz Sharif expressed grave concern over the killing of 14 Kashmiris in Occupied Kashmir in the latest act of violence by the Indian security forces. He said the bloodbath of Kashmiris has been going on for decades and the criminal silence of the international community on this issue is perplexing. He demanded the government to bring a solid policy to force India to stop its bloodshed in the held valley and give Kashmiris their right to self-determination. He assured opposition’s full support to the government on this issue.
PAKISTAN TO PAY BACK RS29174B:
The government has to pay foreign loans worth $37633.76m during its five-year tenure, NA was told on Monday.
During the question hour session, it was informed by Minister for Finance Asad Umar that the actual amount of loan is $310027.72m while the interest money is around US $6605.97m.
Umar told the National Assembly that nine government and 25 private sector banks are presently working in the country.
The finance minister said that in the last five years, Pakistan loaned US 32134m while till the end of Sep 2018, Pakistan has to pay back Rs29174b.
He apprised the House that there is no suggestion under consideration to end the currency notes of 500, 1,000 and 5,000.
Answering another question, Umar said that the State Bank of Pakistan will make the payments while the government is fully committed to get rid of this burden.
SUI-GAS SCHEMES:
Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan has stated that nonstop work is underway for the start and completion of different Sui gas schemes and added that new schemes would start with the approval of the federal cabinet.
While responding the call attention notice, he stated that Rs 1,404.925 million was needed currently for KP projects while Rs 287.5 million was given to them.
However, Sarwar admitted that some Sui gas production areas were lacking gas facility and added that the court had ordered to first provide facilities to the areas of gas production. Moreover, he stated that work on some paused Sui gas schemes would start in the first quarter of 2019.