Senate proceedings: ANP stages walk-out against killings in Karachi
A worker of the party was killed for hoisting party’s flag
ISLAMABAD:
The Awami National Party (ANP) on Tuesday staged a walk-out from the Senate against the killing of one of its workers in Karachi for hoisting their party flag. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also joined the protest.
“We cannot even hoist our party flags in Karachi. Is this democracy?” enquired a visibly perturbed Shahi Syed, a senator from ANP. The incident, which took place last night, saw one ANP worker killed and two others injured in Frontier Colony area of Karachi, while they were busy hoisting their party’s flag.
“How long will we carry dead bodies of our people and take the injured to hospitals?” questioned Syed, while saying that some four to five million Pakhtuns were living in Karachi but were subject to atrocities.
He said that all political parties including the protesting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) were in power at the federal or provincial level, but it was the ANP which was being pushed to the wall. The ANP lawmaker demanded both federal and provincial governments to be on the same page in addressing the law and order issues of Karachi.
“Don’t push us to climb mountains (a term used for separatists of Balochistan),” warned Syed, while announcing his boycott and demanding the arrest of the killers.
Police in sports complex
Addressing the house on a point of order, Senator Farah Aqil from the ANP asked the authorities to shift Punjab police personnel, deployed in Islamabad in the wake of protests and sit-ins, from sports complex to any other place as female athletes were facing problems in camps ahead of SAF games. “The SAF games are going to take place next month but female camps at the sport complex are facing problems due to ill-mannered police personnel,” she said.
Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline
Earlier, the minister of state for petroleum and natural resources Jam Kamal informed the house that the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project was facing issues regarding installation of compressors, pipeline and payments system to international firms.
“We have informed the Iranian authorities about these issues and are waiting for their reply,” he added.
Senator Sughra Imam from the PPP had questioned the Petroleum Minister about details of international sanctions about the project and the written reply given by Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that ““The US government has enforced National Defence Authorization Act, 2012 (NDAA) and Executive Order 13622 to prohibit financial transactions with the central bank of Iran and other designated financial institutions. Under the NDAA, the facilitation by financial institution of the purchases of petroleum products would be sanctionable.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2014.
The Awami National Party (ANP) on Tuesday staged a walk-out from the Senate against the killing of one of its workers in Karachi for hoisting their party flag. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also joined the protest.
“We cannot even hoist our party flags in Karachi. Is this democracy?” enquired a visibly perturbed Shahi Syed, a senator from ANP. The incident, which took place last night, saw one ANP worker killed and two others injured in Frontier Colony area of Karachi, while they were busy hoisting their party’s flag.
“How long will we carry dead bodies of our people and take the injured to hospitals?” questioned Syed, while saying that some four to five million Pakhtuns were living in Karachi but were subject to atrocities.
He said that all political parties including the protesting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) were in power at the federal or provincial level, but it was the ANP which was being pushed to the wall. The ANP lawmaker demanded both federal and provincial governments to be on the same page in addressing the law and order issues of Karachi.
“Don’t push us to climb mountains (a term used for separatists of Balochistan),” warned Syed, while announcing his boycott and demanding the arrest of the killers.
Police in sports complex
Addressing the house on a point of order, Senator Farah Aqil from the ANP asked the authorities to shift Punjab police personnel, deployed in Islamabad in the wake of protests and sit-ins, from sports complex to any other place as female athletes were facing problems in camps ahead of SAF games. “The SAF games are going to take place next month but female camps at the sport complex are facing problems due to ill-mannered police personnel,” she said.
Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline
Earlier, the minister of state for petroleum and natural resources Jam Kamal informed the house that the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project was facing issues regarding installation of compressors, pipeline and payments system to international firms.
“We have informed the Iranian authorities about these issues and are waiting for their reply,” he added.
Senator Sughra Imam from the PPP had questioned the Petroleum Minister about details of international sanctions about the project and the written reply given by Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that ““The US government has enforced National Defence Authorization Act, 2012 (NDAA) and Executive Order 13622 to prohibit financial transactions with the central bank of Iran and other designated financial institutions. Under the NDAA, the facilitation by financial institution of the purchases of petroleum products would be sanctionable.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2014.