ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shafqat Mehmood Wednesday hit out at government in the backdrop of ISPR statement which highlighted ‘the incumbent government’s incompetence to fight war against terror’.
“We have told the government to perform from time to time but they have no interest,” Mehmood said, while addressing the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The PTI leader said the ISPR statement was a matter of concern for the federal government. He also asked the government to brief the House on progress being made on the National Action Plan.
Arif Alvi, another PTI leader, supported the ISPR statement and said that military and civilian courts should operate in a complementary manner.
On Tuesday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif used a corps commanders’ meeting to call for taking ‘governance initiatives’ in order to complement efforts of the security forces in the fight against terrorism.
During a Corps Commanders Conference in Rawalpindi on Tuesday held to review the country’s internal security situation, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had stressed the need for “complementary governance” for progress in the fight against terrorism.
Earlier during the day, Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah pointed out the lack of quorum in the House and said, “The session can proceed once the princes are present.”
Shah said there is only one minister present in the assembly, and the government, during its two-and-a-half years-long tenure, had not learnt to take parliament seriously.
Referring to yesterday’s Corps Commanders’ conference, the Opposition Leader also took a shot at the government, saying it should improve its governance.
Shah said the government should take the hint and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should rectify the cabinet.
Addressing the National Assembly, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Mahmood Jan Achakzai said that the ISPR statement regarding the conference was against the spirit of the Constitution, saying that any foreign policy made outside the parliament would not be supported by the House.
Achakzai also asked for the ministers to be more punctual during NA sessions.
Referring to the Prime Minister and the Army chief, he said that “If both Sharifs are on the same page, we will support them unconditionally, but if there is are any differences between them then we will support the civilian Sharif.”
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq during house proceedings earlier today suspended the session for 10 minutes to protest the absence of senior ministers of the federal government.
During the 10-minute break, the Speaker also expelled junior officers of federal ministries from the assembly and called the secretaries of the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Finance.
Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday, instead of supervising proceedings of the House that had elected him just a day earlier, chose instead to call on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leaving the lower house of parliament in the hands of the deputy speaker.
