Pakistan

BBC report: Inquiry at local level has started, says Rashid

Says MQM avoiding giving reaction to the allegations

APP June 28, 2015

Pervaiz Rashid. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid said on Saturday that a letter had been written to the United Kingdom seeking its support with reference to the BBC report.

Talking to a private news channel, he said investigations were also being carried out at a local level regarding the BBC report. “We have no black and white evidence in this regard and nothing could be said without substantial evidence,” he said.

The minister said the MQM should give its reaction over the matter but it avoided doing so. He further said that two MQM people were pointed out in the BBC report. The media, he said, would be aware of the facts, which would get clear.

Read: Damning BBC report: Govt to get to the bottom of charges against MQM

“We want that people involved in this matter be disclosed as this is a sensitive issue on which our agencies and relevant departments are working,” he added.

To a question, he said that in Karachi people died due to heatwave not because of load-shedding. The load-shedding was being monitored on a daily basis and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also taking briefing in this regard, he added.

Read: Security institutions to investigate BBC report on MQM's 'Indian funding'

Rashid said that load-shedding had reasonably reduced as compared to the previous years. He said the PML-N government wanted to take the Sindh government along with it, but the latter should improve its performance.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (2)

S.R.H. Hashmi | 9 years ago | Reply The state of knowledge, common sense and caliber of the higher ups in the government can be judged by the statements made by them. And a superb example of that is Minister of Information Senator Pervaiz Rashid’s statement in which, among other things, he said that in Karachi people died due to heatwave, not because of load-shedding and that the load-shedding was being monitored on a daily basis by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He could as well have said that as Muslims, we believe that death comes at the appointed time and not a minute sooner or later. That way, he could have absolved every one of his responsibility in the tragedy. Obviously it would have been the heat wave which caused heat stroke, However, unscheduled loadshedding and long periods of electricity breakdowns, make even UPS facility non-functional. And the resulting absence of cooling facility and absence of fridge-made ice and cold water would have aggravated the ailment and made recovery impossible, ultimately resulting in death. So, loadshedding (including long electricity breakdowns) are not as unconnected with the deaths in Karachi as the minister likes to think and want us to believe. Also, daily monitoring by the Prime Minister is of little use unless urgent remedial measures are taken in the light of information that comes up as a result of monitoring. However, we have not seen any immediate remedial measures taken by the Prime Minister apart from his expression of sorrow and the usual good wishes. And by announcing in advance that privatization of KESC (now K-electric) will not be reversed, Nawaz Sharif has already reduced the government's bargaining capacity. Karachi

Disgusting | 9 years ago | Reply It appears Nawaz Sharif is not much concerned about this case and will eventually make a deal with Altaf. Otherwise no sane person would ask Perv Rashid to speak on this case.

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