ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to move an adjournment motion in the National Assembly, seeking a debate on Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif’s ‘controversial’ statement, which he had made in the US while addressing a think-tank.

PTI Member National Assembly Murad Saeed will submit the motion with the NA Secretariat.

The draft of the motion says that “the routine business of the House should be adjourned to make the minister explain as to how he took a position contrary to the national policy dealing with terrorism”.

The motion will be submitted under rule 109 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007 to discuss the “very important and most urgent matter of seeking an explanation from the federal minister for making extremely controversial remarks”.

Khawaja Asif, while speaking at the Asia Society Forum in New York, had said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif paid a political price for his peace efforts with India. He had also called the Haqqani network and Jamaat-ud-Daawa’s Hafiz Saeed as the liabilities for Pakistan and asked the US to give Pakistan some time to get rid of them.

The motion seeks the minister to explain how he attributed causes for Sharif’s disqualification by a five-judge bench of the apex court other than what the court has narrated in its unanimous judgment. “Why his remarks on Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification should not be taken as the product of a well-thought-out scheme of causing irreparable damage to the critical state institutions like the judiciary at a global level,” says the motion. It further asked the foreign minister “why he did not apprise the Parliament, which he is answerable to, of his knowledge of the so-called conspiracy or for that matter, conspirators who had been involved in conspiring against the former prime minister who was the leader of the house as well”.

The motion further asks the foreign minister “to explain what objectives he intended to achieve by making such an irresponsible statement on a land that is filled with prejudices against Pakistan and before an audience who is abhorrently critical to Pakistan and her institutions”.

PTI SEEKS ISHAQ DAR’S

RESIGNATION

NNI adds: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday pressed for the resignation of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the wake of his indictment in a graft reference.

The PTI wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, submitting that it was shameful, the Finance Minister is still holding office after his indictment in the NAB reference with regard to assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The party cautioned that it would go to the Supreme Court, if the Prime Minister made any attempt to protect Dar and did not remove him from the post.

The supervision of the national exchequer should not be left to a person facing corruption charges, it said.

Earlier on Sept 27, an Accountability Court had indicted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the reference filed against him by the anti-graft watchdog for accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The finance minister had appeared before the court after it issued bailable warrants for his arrest.

Imran destroying PTI from within: Pervaiz

INP adds: Former Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed, who stepped down following the Dawn Leaks controversy, said on Friday that Imran Khan is destroying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf from within.

Rasheed said the PTI has a dozen candidates for the post of Prime Minister and even more for the position of Opposition leader.

“Imran is demolishing his own house,” he said.

Rasheed, taking a jibe at the PTI Chairman, said that Imran wanted to become the Prime Minister in 2013, but in 2018, he will be a candidate for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman.

“PTI Chairman left his home with the dream to become the Prime Minister in 2013, he is trying his level best to become the Opposition leader today and in 2018 he will be a candidate for PCB Chairman.”

Responding to a question, the PML-N leader said thst property tycoon Malik Riaz visited Nawaz Sharif to inquire about the health of Begum Kalsoom Nawaz.

 

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