Parliament not allowed to discuss KLB: Pervaiz Rasheed

LAHORE - Leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Senator Pervaiz Rasheed has said the adjournment of the session of parliament indefinitely without giving an opportunity to the opposition parties to express their viewpoint on the Kerry Lugar Bill and imposition of disagreeable Bill on the people is an example of worst type of dictatorial attitude, which should be condemned in the strongest terms. He said that has the viewpoint of the parliament taken, the Bill would have been rejected as a number of the members belonging to the ruling party had also expressed their displeasure over the bill. Due to this fact, after the speech of the Foreign Minister, the session of the parliament was adjourned immediately, he said, as per a handout issued here on Friday. Commending on the adjournment of the session of the Houses without listening of the viewpoint of the opposition on the Kerry Lugar Bill, Pervaiz Rasheed said after the speech of the Foreign Minister, members of opposition and other parties should have been given an opportunity to express their views in accordance with the democratic and parliamentary traditions so that the parliament would have reached some conclusion, but in the explanatory statement of Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, no indication was given of any change in the controversial sections and the session was adjourned. The Senator further said though it was announced a number of occasions by the government circles that it would accept the decision of the parliament on Kerry Lugar Bill, but after the flop visit of Foreign Minister and a speech not worth its name in the parliament, the imposition of the bill on the nation unilaterally had rendered the parliament helpless on the pattern of the era of Musharraf leadership. Media, intellectuals, and even America, have also accepted that some clauses of the Bill were against the interests of Pakistan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had gone on foreign tour with the promise to get these sanctions removed which were irritant to Pakistani people, he added. Senator Pervaiz Rasheed further said if the voice of the nation was stifled on such sensitive issues and the government was reluctant to seek the views of the parliament, then where could public opinion be expressed.

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