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Pervaiz scoffs at talk of missing plane being in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said on Tuesday that the missing Malaysian jetliner was not a balloon that landed and disappeared somewhere in Pakistan and no one came to know about it.
“Pakistani borders are safe and whenever anything enters into our air space it comes to our knowledge forthwith, and its record is maintained,” the information minister told journalists after a ceremony at the National Book Foundation. He said the negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was not an issue of Punjab, but it was the issue of whole Pakistan, and “we are Pakistanis”. He further added that talks were underway to resolve the issue on permanent basis. “This is not the issue of one province, but it is the issue of entire Pakistan”, he underlined.
He said the talks of government and TTP were at an initial stage and at the time of presentation of demands, the matters of recovery of the sons of late Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, and every person who has been kidnapped by them (Taliban) would be discussed, and ensuring their safe release is the prime responsibility of the present government. He said the provinces played a pivotal role with reference to the formulation of internal national security policy and all the parties in the country were supporting talks with Taliban.
Talks with Taliban were being conducted with the consensus of all political parties and all other stakeholder s, he said, adding all the parties were supporting dialogue process with Taliban. Like, the political parties including PPP, JUI, MQM, ANP and PTI had unanimously decided that peace should be restored and maintained in the country through talks, he pointed out.
To a question he said India had declared Pakistan Most Favoured Nation (MFN) since 1998 and federal cabinet of previous PPP-led government had signed agreements with India and ensuring implementation of these agreements is responsibility of the government. “Our government is entering into no new accord with India on this issue”, he stated. He said information on presence of non-combatant women and children kept in the prison of state institutions was being obtained.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk