Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Legislators in the Upper House of parliament on Monday adopted a resolution against Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s anti-Pakistan statements, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reiterated that Pakistan’s armed forces would respond with full force if India tried to carry out any ‘surgical strike’ inside Pakistan.

The resolution strongly condemned the statement of the Indian premier attributing terrorism to Pakistan and drawing a parallel between India and Israel – evoking a parallel between Kashmir and Palestine – during the recently held BRICS Summit in Goa, India.

The resolution, moved by Sehar Kamran, also appreciated the reaction of the international community to this baseless propaganda by the Indian prime minister. “There will be no compromise on sovereignty and defence of Pakistan, and its resolve to fight against terrorism and contribute towards bringing peace and harmony to the region,” the Upper House reiterated. Earlier, speaking on a motion, Sehar Kamran said that since assuming office, Modi had adopted an aggressive policy against Pakistan. She claimed that India did not want peace in the region and had always been trying to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the region. Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi said that it was a matter of Hindu fundamentalism, and that India desired to be an “American police of Asia”. He said that time had come to expose India’s real face before the international community. He claimed that India was also involved in such violations with other neighbouring countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that Pakistan would continue its political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris in their just struggle for the right to self-determination. India was making failed attempts to link the Kashmir freedom movement with cross-border infiltration and terrorism, he said. He said that India’s campaign had failed at the diplomatic front.

Asif said that India was also afraid of Pakistan’s success in the fight against terrorism. He said that Pakistan’s success had been recognised by the world and world bodies.

He said the valiant armed forces of the country had successfully eliminated terrorists and their sanctuaries from the country.

He said that India carried out 330 ceasefire violations – 290 violations on the Line of Control and 40 on the Working Boundaries – until December 2016. He said that 45 civilians were martyred and 138 injured in those violations. He said the frequency of the violations had been reduced after December. Meanwhile, the House passed another resolution recommending the government to launch a scheme for the provision of interest-free loans to farmers for installation of solar tube-wells in the country.

Chaudhry Tanvir Khan moved the resolution. The House passed another resolution recommending the government to start evening and night shifts in the dispensaries in the rural areas of Islamabad in order to make medical facility available to the people round the clock. The resolution was moved by Muhammad Talha Mahmood.

Speaking on a motion moved by Chaudhry Tanvir Khan regarding making changes to the procedure laid down for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmad said that the government had made some changes to the CSS procedure last year. He said the motion should be sent to the committee concerned for detailed deliberations and recommendations, which the government should follow accordingly.

Speaking on the motion, the members said that the quota of urban and rural candidates should be continued for another decade because of the difference in education system and opportunities available in the urban-rural divide. Two bills were also introduced in the Senate. The Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was moved by Sirajul Haq. It provides to amend the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860. The Ehtram-e-Ramazan (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was moved by Chaudhry Tanvir Khan. It aims to amend the Ehtram-e-Ramazan Ordinance, 1981. The chair referred the bills to the committees concerned.