ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Senate demanded of the government Friday to disclose any terms and conditions if it made with India through back channels for the release of detained Indian pilot.
“The house should be informed under what conditions the Indian Air Force pilot has been handed over to India,” Former opposition leader and parliamentary leader of PPP in Senate Sherry Rehman said while taking part in the debate on going tensions between India and Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities on Friday evening handed over IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan to India at Lahore’s Wagah Border following Thursday’s announcement of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the joint sitting of the parliament that Pakistan has decided to release him. In the early hours of Wednesday, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two IAF aircraft in response to India’s aggression and the pilot was arrested from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).
The major opposition party Senator Rehman said that Indian response over the release of pilot was inappropriate. “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not attending the repeated telephone calls of PM Imran Khan,” she said adding that how the decision to release pilot was made so quickly. “And what India gave in response to that gesture…India should at least give a response to the call and whether India has agreed to start dialogue on the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) issue,” she said.
Former Chairman Senate and PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani taking part in the debate questioned that keeping in view some past developments, whether US and other international forces were going to make India policeman of the region for containment of China. “Pulwama incident could not be seen in isolation,” he said adding that it was true that Modi’s election campaign was behind this escalation but there were other factors as well.
Describing the factors, he said that Indian intelligence agency—Research & Analysis Wing RAW)—had aided and abetted terrorism incidents in Pakistan and then came its increasing violations across Line of Control (LoC). Quoting an article published in the international media, he said that India and Israel nexus in terms of military and economic had strengthened during the past some time. “Then India avoided participating the SAARC conference saying it cannot come in the shadow of terrorism.” India has been propagating against Pakistan for having terrorists’ havens and asking for violation of India Water Treaty and also has been making efforts to place Pakistan on blacklist of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), he said and added; “And then it says that it can only talk on terrorism and not on IOK issue.”
“By seeing all these developments in juxtaposition position and seeing the response of India, and the lukewarm response of US and other countries and the new strategic shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy, this all would have to be seen whether international forces ware bent on getting the supremacy of India accepted to make him policeman of the region,” Rabbani said. At the end, he concluded that Foreign Office should look into that aspect that whether efforts were under way to ask Pakistan to Do More and to materialise the Indian dream of becoming policeman of the region.
Another PPP Senator Rehman Malik said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had played a good card by releasing the pilot. “We have shown courtesy,” he said. He also pointed out that PM Modi should have shown courtesy by attending PM Khan’s call and called his gesture totally undiplomatic. He also objected that Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani was not given the seat parallel to the Speaker National Assembly in the joint sitting instead he was given a seat in the National Assembly Hall. On this, the chairman Senate that this was done under the rules and rules would have to be amended to change Senate chairman’s place of sitting in the joint sitting.
The PML-N Senator Kamran Michael, who was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau on February 8 in connection with a corruption case, said that he was detained without any concrete evidence against him. “When NAB produced me before the court to get a physical remand, the court refused to accept the bureau’s request and termed me as the so called accused.”
He said that the court even remarked that the judicial remand could not be given in a reference that had already been filed. He said that he was arrested in a corruption reference that did not even include his name. “Don’t give a free hand to NAB to arrest the lawmakers,” he said and requested the chair to refer his matter to the Law Committee for a hearing.
PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi said that anti-corruption watch dog was not above the parliament and it should inform the house about the allegations against the senator. NAB should be questioned why it arrested the senator—a formal federal minister—and the matter should be referred to the committee. Another party colleague of Senator Michael, Senator Saleem Zia that neither the lawmaker’s name included in any case nor part of the investigation.
Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi told the house that 550 million gallon chemical infested polluted water was being thrown into the ocean at Karachi on daily basis. He added that up to 7000 ton solid waste also being thrown daily in the ocean. He said that only a single water treatment plant having capacity of 70 million gallon per day was working in Karachi. He said that he had requested Karachi mayor to look into the situation and more treatment plants should be installed on the sites where water falls into the sea. He also said that if the situation persisted, then international shipments would be stopped in the next four to five years.