News
Saturday, June 11, 2011
PML-N blasts govt, army for following ‘American dictation’
* Daultana says PPP has handed foreign policy to armed forces
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The budget debate in the National Assembly on Friday again witnessed an onslaught on the government and defence institutions by the main opposition party PML-N’s members, who accused both of following the American dictations.
The session of the National Assembly was called to debate the budget, but the PML-N used it to criticise the government as well as security agencies. PML-N’s Tahmina Daultana was more vocal in comparison to her colleagues and targeted the armed forces. “The military only knows to kill own people and retreat on various occasions,” Daultana blatantly remarked.
She felt that PPP government has failed to ensure parliament’s supremacy and has handed over the foreign policy to armed forces allowing it to mould it according to their own interests. The army has pushed the country to a dangerous level, she said, adding that now the political forces would steer the country out the crises.
She noted that the country was suffering immensely due to the failure to fix responsibility in the Abbottabad operation, and said that it was the moral responsibility of the ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha to resign over the debacle. She also disputed the armed forces’ claim that 35,000 personnel have been lost in the war against terror. She said does the army alone gives sacrifices, why doesn’t anyone talk about the loss of 30,000 civilian lives in this war.
PML-N’s Barjis Tahir, though didn’t match up the rhetoric of Daultana, was also critical about the non-implementation of the resolution of the joint sitting of parliament. He also attributed the successive incidents of Abbottabad, PNS Mehran and killing of a youth by Sindh Rangers to non-fixing of responsibility. He also questioned the suo motu notice by Supreme Court of Atiqa Odho case and questioned why the apex court has not taken the suo motu of May 12 incident in Karachi when dozens of persons were killed when the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry visited the city.
Another PML-N member, Sheren Arshad Khan, said that security forces were slaughtering the people on roads with impunity. Federal Textile Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, calling the budget a balanced one, said that opposition should come up with solid arguments instead of just indulging in point-scoring on it. About the protest of the PML-N in the House during the presentation of federal budget, Shahab said that it is the right of the opposition to stage a protest but the way it was lodged was awkward as it would only strengthen the non-democratic forces, which are bent upon weakening the democratic system.
PPP’s Yasmeen Rahman said that although the budget was not ideal but in the prevalent circumstances it was the best possible. She called for informing parliament about the expenditures on defence as well as giving it the right to vote on the defence expenditures. PML-Q’s Sardar Bahadur Khan Sihar said that massive amounts given to provinces are distributed equally. He called for the creation of a new federating unit in Punjab to address the problems of the people of southern areas of the province. PPP’s Abdul Ghafoor Chaudhry and Sardar Owais Laghari also took part in the debate.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk