Meddling in Pakistan: House condemns Indian premier’s August 15 speech

Lawmaker ‘worried over House’s silence on missing children’

LAHORE: The Provincial Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about Balochistan, Gilgit and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in his August 15 speech.

It said Modi’s remarks had vindicated Pakistan’s stance on Indian interference in its territory. It said diplomatic pressure should be exerted on India to stop it from meddling in Pakistan’s affairs. PPP lawmaker Khurram Jahangir Wattoo’s suggestion that the government should be urged through the resolution to discontinue trade ties with India was dismissed by the Chair.

Only one of the five resolutions on the agenda for the private member proceedings was passed by the House. Nabila Hakim Ali’s resolution sought measures to control the prices of medicines used for treatment of cancer and hepatitis.

Gulnaz Shehzadi’s resolution sought directives for private schools that they should not require students to purchase uniforms and syllabus books from a specific vendor. It was withdrawn after the education minister assured the House that schools had been asked to abandon the practice.

Sheikh Alauddin’s resolution seeking revisions in the country’s import policy was kept pending. It sought addition of luxury and non-essential items in the negative list (non-importable items). Alauddin said that the country could have faced bankruptcy four years ago had there been no reduction in the global oil prices. He also questioned the need for commercial ties with India in view of its adverse impact on domestic farmers and industries. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah called the claims baseless and based on incorrect facts.

Speaking on a point of order, PPP’s lawmaker Faiza Malik questioned the House’s silence over the issue of child kidnappings. She said it was worrying that incidents of children going missing continued in the province but legislators were not being allowed to speak about it in the House. Her claim that thousands of children had gone missing from their homes in the province was met with jeers from treasury lawmakers.

On Monday, the law minister had told the House that nine people were under investigation for kidnapping and killing of an eight-year-old boy in Badamibagh in July this year.

Referring to a demonstration staged in front of the Provincial Assembly, PML-Q’s Khadija Umar said the residents of Nain Sukh area were protesting against poor quality of sewerage infrastructure in their area. The education minister was asked to respond to the complaint but he said it should be taken up by the law minister who was not present in the House. Opposition benches kept asking in vain that the MPA concerned should be asked to resolve the matter.

Farzana Nazir sought the Chair’s permission to speak on the Kashmir dispute. She was told that it would be discussed later.

The questions hour featured discussion on the Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife and Irrigation Departments. Amendments introduced to the Punjab Consumer Protection Bill and the Prisons Bill were sent to respective committees.

The session will continue on Wednesday morning.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.