Second resolution on LoC: NA condemns Indian aggression

Says that Pakistanis fully stand behind their civil and military leadership to defend their territory.

ISLAMABAD:

The lower house of parliament on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution to condemn unprovoked shelling by Indian troops on the Line of Control (LoC).

The resolution was meant to send across the message that the people of Pakistan “fully stand behind their civil and military leadership to defend the territory of Pakistan.”

“This house pays rich tribute to Captain Sarfraz of the Pakistan armed forces who was martyred due to unprovoked shelling by the Indian troops at Shaqma sector, near Skardu near the LoC and also prays for early recovery of the soldier, seriously injured on Tuesday the 20th August 2013,” said the resolution moved by Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain.

It said: “This house condemns this act of aggression and also expresses serious concern on the continued violations of the ceasefire across the LoC by the Indian army and demands for a constructive, sustained and result-oriented process of engagement.”

Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mahmood Khan Ackakzai, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Dr. Azra Afzal Pechuho and Awami Muslim League’s (AML) Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed seconded the resolution.



On August 13, the lower house had passed its first resolution condemning Indian aggression across the LoC and asked it to respect and uphold the 2003 ceasefire agreement in letter and spirit. The Indian parliament, however, had rejected the resolution, calling the allegations baseless and unfounded.

Earlier, lawmakers from all political parties expressed their concern over the fresh Indian aggression at the LoC. Taking part in the discussion, an independent legislator from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Shah Gul Afridi warned India, saying that in the event of war the Pakistan army would have the complete support of the people of FATA.

YouTube

Meanwhile, State Minister for Information Technology Anusha Rahman said the decision to lift ban on YouTube was to be taken by Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), which had imposed the ban.

The IMC comprising representatives from the ministries of Interior, Religious Affairs, IT and law enforcing agencies was set up in 2006. The committee had the mandate to block any website displaying sacrilegious material, she added.

Responding to a point of order raised by Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari, a former IT minister who had urged the government to take some steps for lifting ban on YouTube, the minister revealed that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had been flouting the orders of her ministry.

She said that a 14-member team of the ministry had been assigned the task to filter the blasphemous and pornographic material. “On a test run we have blocked 4,000 URLs containing such material,” she added.

The minister said that YouTube in Pakistan was blocked after a blasphemous film was uploaded and said “we have blocked it in Pakistan but someone can upload it again. However, we are working on capacity building to deal with such situation.”


Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.