Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Expressing concern over US President Donald Trump’s executive order that barred entry of people from seven Muslim countries to America, opposition legislators in the National Assembly urged the government to come up with a statement to clarify Pakistan’s stance on the issue.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Dr Nafisa Shah, when given the floor on a point of order, said that visas to seven Muslims countries had been denied by the new US administration. She said that since it was a human rights issue, demonstrations were being staged even in America, and added that Pakistan could also face such restrictions. “The Foreign Ministry should come up with a statement on this issue,” she demanded.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shireen Mazari, also speaking on a point of order, said that the government was silent on this inhuman treatment. She said that even the British parliament had condemned this move, while non-Muslim countries, including those in Europe, were also holding demonstrations against it. She urged the government to clear its policy over Trump’s move.

It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) declined to support opposition parties in connection with passage of their resolution in parliament against the United States for imposing the visa restrictions on people coming from muslim countries.

The government has also given indication to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to keep quiet inside parliament and at the international level on this matter.

Well-placed sources within parliament told Daily Times that the ruling PML-N was under severe pressure from the PPP, PTI, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Jamaat-e-Islami and its ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on the issue. According to the opposition parties, Pakistan being a nuclear Islamic state should pass a joint resolution in its parliament against the visa restriction slapped by the Trump administration against seven Muslim countries, besides strongly condemning this move.

Opposition parties in the National Assembly worked out a resolution, whereby the US move for imposing visa restrictions on Muslim countries was slammed in the strongest terms, sources said.

They added that the JUI-F had also assured the joint opposition that it would lend them full support to get the resolution passed. Opposition parties also entered into an intensive consultation process with the ruling PML-N ministers to seek their support for the sake of the passage of this resolution, sources said.

The government had assured the opposition on Wednesday that this resolution would be passed with consensus on Thursday. Sources said that several ministers, including Zahid Hamid and Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, had agreed to support the resolution.

However, sources within the PPP told Daily Times that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz did not support the resolution, fearing imposition of economic sanctions and visa restrictions by the US and international monetary institutions.

On the other hand, all the federal ministers disappeared from the House a few minutes before conclusion of the proceedings. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad admitted in parliament that the Premier and the Foreign Ministry had given an indication that the resolution would not be passed.