Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday came down hard on the opposition for campaigning against the 48th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers starting in Islamabad from Tuesday. The opposition had surpassed India and Israel in campaigning against the OIC moot, he said while talking to the media outside the Supreme Court alongside Energy Minister Hammad Azahar and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Zaheer-ud-Din Babar Awan. Referring to Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s threat of disrupting the OIC conference, he said “how embarrassing it is for those who had said that we will see how the OIC takes place in Islamabad.” He said the final dates for OIC meeting were announced some eight months ago.

If the opposition had submitted the resolution for convening the National Assembly session ten days later, nothing would have happened. “What’s harm in it if the NA session is convened on March 25 instead of March 22,” he questioned, adding a motion was adopted by the National Assembly on January 21 to allow the exclusive use of its chamber for the 48th session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers. He said all the efforts of opposition parties were seemed to be against the national interest. “It has been observed that Fazlur Rehman and his so-called alliance are making more efforts than India and Israel to sabotage the OIC conference,” he added. Fawad said Prime Minister Imran Khan stood affirm in the face of opposition’s threats and would foil their every bid against him and his government.

“It is not the first time that Imran Khan is facing such challenges in his life… he always emerges victorious in such situations,” he added. He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had given seven days to its dissident Members of National Assembly for returning to the party’s fold. They would face disqualification for the lifetime, if not returned to the PTI, he added. Referring to phone call from the family members of the dissidents, he said the former were ashamed of the acts of the latter. He fired a broadside on the opposition for malicious campaign against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and the Pakistan Army. It had been noticed that some social media accounts of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz were maligning the Pakistan Army by changing their display with that of the PTI logo. The minister said those who dreamt to create wedge between the Pakistan Army and the government should know that the PTI was not the PML-N which, he alleged, hatched conspiracy against the institution on petty issues. “PM Imran Khan and the armed forces is such a combination which ushers in the stability and progress of Pakistan,” he said, adding it would continue in future.

The institutions, he said, stood by the government as required by the Constitution. Fawad said the government, in a reference filed in the Supreme Court under Article-186 for interpretation of Article 63-A, had sought its advice on the status of those party members who were explicitly involved in horse-trading. “Does the Constitution of the country allow the members of the Parliament to sell their loyalty and encourage “Lotacracy” in the country,” he questioned. He said that PM Imran Khan could not be removed through the conspiracies as it was only the right of the masses to decide who should rule the country. Mulana Fazal ur Rehman should be asked that what he had done for the cause of Islam, he said while highlighting the prime minister’s efforts that led to the adoption of a resolution in the United Nations for designation of March 15 as an “International Day to combat the Islamophobia.” Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that the NA Speaker had summoned the session of National Assembly on March 25 in line with the provisions of Constitution.

He reminded the opposition of the motion unanimously passed by the lower house to provide the Assembly hall for the session of the OIC. Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said Pakistan was passing through a ‘defining moment’ as the whole nation was witnessing whether the country was being pushed towards the old corrupt practices of horse-trading, turn-coating, and conscience-selling, or neat & clean politics of the elected members in the Parliament. He made it clear that the law against floor-crossing was passed by the past governments.

Hammad said there was a clear divide between the public and the traders of consciousness that could be witnessed on the streets. “By the grace of Allah Almighty, there will be the victory of ‘Naya Pakistan,’ neat and clean politics, honesty, and supremacy of the law and the constitution.”