Threat to suspend water treaty first step towards war
Opposition in National Assembly seeks govt’s befitting response to Indian threat
September 27, 2016
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ISLAMABAD - The main opposition in the National Assembly session yesterday sought the government’s immediate stance over India’s threat to suspend the Indus Water Treaty.
Considering the suspension of the treaty as the first step towards declaring a war, PTI’s Shireen Mazari said the government should immediately respond if India violated the treaty signed between the two countries.
“Why has the government still not come up with its response to this important matter? What will be the response if India suspends the treaty?” questioned Shireen Mazari, criticising the government for not paying proper heed to the important national issue.
“Are the prime minister and the government under any pressure on this matter?” she said, criticising Nawaz Sharif for not highlighting the Indian involvement in Balochistan and the issue of Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav in his speech at the UNGA.
“Indian is threatening us and this government has still not shared any stance with the parliament,” said Mazari, asking the government to take the Kashmir cause seriously. She also criticised alleged inefficiency of Kashmir Committee headed by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman.
Talal Chaudhry from the treasury benches said Kashmir issue was highlighted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a well manner. “We do need to indulge in point scoring on some of the matters. All of us should stand by the government over national issues,” he said. Nawaz Sharif’s speech has provided a boost to the Kashmir cause as the matter has been debated internationally, he said.
He further clarified that the incumbent government was not under any pressure. He said PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also lauded the prime minister’s address to the UNGA.
PPP’s Abdul Sattar Bachani, on his turn, supported the stance of both the government and PTI. “We are on one page on the Kashmir issue,” he said.
Supporting PTI’s MNA Shireen Mazari, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Tariq Ullah, said the prime minister should have taken the parliament into confidence before leaving for the US. However, he lauded the PM for raising the issue of Kashmir at the UNGA.
A senior MNA from PML-N, Khadim Hussian, lauding the prime minister’s speech, said the entire nation was united against the enemy in case of aggression. Other MNAs strongly condemned the Indian forces’ brutalities and human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir. They said Indian forces were committing grave human rights violations in the held territory by using pellet guns against innocent women and children.
Leader of Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah, on a point of order, sought response of the government for imposing heavy taxes on electricity bills without any reason. Other lawmakers wanted to speak on the issue, but PPP’s Imran Zafar Leghari pointed out lack of quorum in the house.
“No minister is in the house to listen to such an important matter. Strength of the house is also not enough,” said PPP’s Imran Zafar Leghari. Deputy Speaker immediately adjourned the house after these remarks of PPP’s young MNA, as only 35 MNAs were sitting in the house.
Leader of Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah criticised the government for imposing heavy taxes on electricity bills. “The government should brief the members about imposing extra taxes on consumers in the power sector,” he said, criticising the government for not giving proper relief to masses even after reduction in petroleum prices internationally.
The National Assembly, on the first day of 36th session, passed five bills, including The Hindu Marriage Bill, 2016, and The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Bill, 2016.
The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Bill, 2016, seeks to specify the penalty for entering into a benami transaction and provision for confiscation of benami properties.
The bill is being introduced to deal with the problem of tax evasion and black money, especially in the real estate sector and to target transactions that are carried out in other people’s names. “The purpose is to empower the government to recover such property,” it added.
Another bill “The Hindu Marriage Bill, 2016” was moved to codify the law for regulating the marriages and termination thereof among Hindus family. The provision of the said act has been applied to irretrievable breakdown of marriages in Hindu and this act is applicable to all citizens of Pakistan, who are Hindus by religion in any of its forms.
According to the legislation, a Hindu widow shall have the right to remarry of her own will and consent after the death of her husband provided a period of six months has lapsed.
Other bills passed from the house were The Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2016, The Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Companies (Appointment of Legal Advisers) (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Published in The Nation newspaper on 27-Sep-2016