Mushahid urges govt to regain lost glory

ISLAMABAD PML-Q has announced to table a bill 'Pakistan Sovereignty Act 2009 in the National Assembly asking the President to issue a certificate to each House of the Parliament on the sovereignty of the country in January every year. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, PML-Q Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that the President, according to the bill, would have to issue a certificate in January every year that no compromise had been made on the countrys sovereignty, security and nuclear programme. In the wake of humiliating conditions in the Kerry-Lugar Act, PML-Q is going to table a bill in the National Assembly asking the President to issue a certificate every year that the countrys security, sovereignty and nuclear programme are not being influenced by any foreign country, he added. Flanked by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Wasim Sajjad, Mushahid said that as a robust opposition of the country, his party was following an issue-based political philosophy in order to protect the national interests. He said that his party had raised the concerns on Kerry-Lugar Act, launched a campaign against NRO and now was going to introduce a bill to torpedo all the conditions embedded with the Kerry-Lugar Act. Mushahid said that his party leadership would leave for Gilgit-Baltistan on a three-day visit today as a part of its election campaign for PML-Q candidates. He asked the Government to learn a lesson from its mistakes and take immediate steps to ensure supremacy of the Parliament, as the opposition was ready to support its positive initiatives. The democratic institutions are functioning properly. Political parties, Armed Forces, general masses and media are unanimous on supporting the democracy. Politicians should mind their own business and the Army should keep its focus on professional matters. However, the Government may feel threatened due to its wrongdoings, corrupt practices and misdeeds, he said. We are ready to cooperate with any political force, as we extended support to the Governments committee on Balochistan for its recommendations for the Balochistan people, he remarked. Mushahid urged the Government to speed up efforts to achieve its lost glory as the withdrawal of NRO, retreat on Kerry-Lugar Act and the loss of its coalition partners support had badly damaged its image. The Government has lost the moral ground and the rulers should not repeat the mistakes of the past, he added. Asked to comment on NRO as he had mediated the talks with PP leaders, Mushahid said NRO was an agreement between former PPP chairperson late Benazir Bhutto and former president Musharraf. Under the deal, he said, the PPP had to support the re-election of Musharraf and in return, all the cases against PPP leaders would have been withdrawn. He said he had visited India recently to participate in an international moot on terrorism. At the conference, I told Indian establishment not to be happy over terror incidents in Pakistan. I said terrorism has no religion and rather it is a corridor, which started from Baghdad and reached Pakistan. However, this menace would not stop at Wagha Border. India should not exploit this phenomenon as this could grip India, he argued. Elaborating the details of the bill, Senator Wasim Sajjad said that the bill had been tabled in the Senate while it would also be submitted in the National Assembly. He said this bill aimed at countering the concerns emitting from the conditions enshrined in the Kerry-Lugar Act about the countrys nuclear programme, foreign influence in the promotions and transfers of the chain of command of the Armed Forces. To a question, the legal wizard said that there was no threat to President Asif Ali Zardari as he was holding the supreme office of the country. Under Article 248 of the Constitution, no criminal proceedings can be initiated or held against the president of the country. However, once he leaves his office, the same could be initiated, he added.

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