Page 15 - Pakistan Link - June 25, 2021

PAKISTAN JUNE 25, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P15
PM’s Aide Rubbishes Talk of Presidential System At Least 3 Dead, 21 Injured in

as Budget Debate Rages on in National Assembly Blast at Lahore’s Johar Town

Islamabad: While maintaining
an aggressive posture against each
other in the National Assembly, the
government and the opposition on
Wednesday appeared to be defend-
ing the existing parliamentary de-
mocracy in the country, as a cabinet
member ruled out any move for im-
position of presidential system and
a key opposition leader assured the
rulers that they would not be sent
packing through sit-ins.
Taking part in the general discus-
sion on the federal budget for a sixth
day, lawmakers from both sides of the
aisle mostly delivered political speeches
and continued attacking each other’s
leadership.
“It is said that presidential system

is being enforced in the country. They
(the opposition) also say it repeatedly courts and the parliament”. politician has incited the army? We will Lahore: At least three people were the attack, resulting in serious injuries

that we want to repeal the 18th Con- The adviser was critical of the op- not remove the government through killed and 21 injured on Wednesday to some officials.

stitution Amendment. I refute both position’s move to hold an all-parties sit-ins. Get rid of this fear,” he said after a bomb blast at Lahore’s Johar A Dawn correspondent who was

(the claims),” said Adviser to the Prime conference (APC) on the issue of elec- while asking the government to make Town, officials said. present at the scene after the blast

Minister on Parliamentary Affairs toral reforms, saying the parliament efforts to reduce tension and hatred. The explosion took place around said the windows and walls of Saeed’s

Babar Awan while taking part in the was the only forum that could decide He told the ruling party leaders 11am in a residential area near the house had been damaged from the
budget debate. about any legislation. that their corruption mantra would town’s Allah Hu boulevard, police impact.

He explained that the government “No APC or any other institution work no more. said. Television footage showed visible Ghani said officials were cur-
did not have a two-thirds majority in can do legislation,” he said, while criti- Earlier in his speech, ex-PM Ab- damage to nearby houses whose walls rently assessing the damage, adding
the parliament required to roll back the cizing the opposition over their alleged basi said the finance minister claimed had collapsed and window panes shat- that nothing could compensate for the

18th Constitution Amendment. “These non-cooperation in the parliament and that the country had a bumper wheat tered. lives lost. He assured citizens that the

are opposition’s stunts,” said Mr Awan. the committees on important legisla- crop but the federal cabinet had ap- A statement from Lahore police perpetrators would be held respon-
The adviser was responding to tions, including the electoral reforms. proved import of 27 million tons of chief Ghulam Mehmood Dogar said sible.

the speech made earlier in the day by The adviser regretted that the op- wheat. that three people had been killed. “The Counter-Terrorism Depart-
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML- position was opposing the use of Elec- In an apparent reference to the It added that 13 injured were being ment (CTD) has taken over [the in-
N) leader and former prime minister tronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and speeches made by ministers Asad Umar, treated at Jinnah Hospital while eight vestigation]. The CTD will determine

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in which he had the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis. Hammad Azhar and Omar Ayub, the others had been discharged. whether it was a suicide blast or if a
asked the assembly to pass a resolution Responding to Mr Awan’s speech, PML-N leader said those people were Jinnah Hospital Medical Super- device was used,” he said.
against the presidential system to block PML-N’s Nousheen Iftikhar, who had giving lectures on economy and energy intendent Dr Yahya Sultan, while talk- He urged citizens and the media

such a move on a permanent basis. recently returned to the assembly after who had been relieved of their portfo- ing to reporters in the afternoon, said to not “speculate”, adding that officials

The PML-N leader had stated that defeating PTI’s candidate in the Daska lios due to “incompetence”. seven of those admitted to the hospi- received hundreds of threat alerts

the presidential form of government by-election, said a person who could The former prime minister called tal were in critical condition with “ball every year. “Even right now we have
was not practicable in Pakistan, recall- not even win a councilor seat was lec- for taking the parliament into con- bearing and blast injuries”. He added about 65 threat alerts,” he said, adding
ing that the country had dismembered turing them on the electoral reforms. fidence on key foreign policy issues, that the injured included two women, that there was an “external element”

when there was a presidential system. PML-N’s firebrand MNA from La- including Kashmir, Afghanistan, and one of whom was pregnant and had to involved in most terrorist attacks.
The adviser blamed opposition for hore Khawaja Saad Rafique said he per- China-Pakistan Economic Corridor be put on a ventilator. “These attacks are usually car-

the hostile atmosphere in the assembly sonally believed they had committed a (CPEC). Punjab Inspector General of Po- ried out by countries that want to
alleging that PML-N had always done mistake by not accepting the proposal “We come to know about our for- lice (IGP) Inam Ghani, who visited harm Pakistan and its progress,” he
confrontational politics. He then asked of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman eign policy through foreign media and the area a couple of hours after the said. “We have peace in our country

the PML-N members to ask their su- that they should not take oath as MNAs articles published in them. To know incident, told reporters that the ex- because of our intelligence agencies,”

preme leader Nawaz Sharif, who had after the 2018 general elections. our foreign policy, we will now have plosion took place near the residence he added.
been living in a self-exile in London, to Criticizing the government for to read the foreign media,” concluded of proscribed Jamatud Dawa (JuD) A statement shared by Punjab
return to the country. alleged political victimization of the Mr Abbasi in his apparent reference to chief Hafiz Saeed. He said police were police quoted the IGP as saying that

“Do not talk through Skype. If you opposition, Mr Rafique predicted that the recent interviews of Prime Minister guarding Saeed’s house at the time of LAHORE, P28
will talk ‘against Pakistan’ while sitting Imran Khan, too, would meet the same Imran Khan to foreign correspondents
abroad, the people would know that fate that 18 former prime ministers of in which he talked about the country’s 283 Pakistanis Being Deported
you cannot face them,” Mr Awan said, the country had met. If those who had nuclear program and peace in Afghani-
adding that the masses had rejected built motorways and airports of the stan. Every Day since 2015!
those (apparently in reference to Mut- country were being called ‘thieves’ by Without naming anyone, Mr Ab-
tahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf the PTI supporters, what should they basi said there were people sitting in the
Hussain) who used to speak more than call the leaders who were mortgaging house and even in the federal cabinet

the PML-N supremo. He said Opposi- the national assets. “This is the ques- who did not pay taxes despite having
tion Leader Shehbaz Sharif had guaran- tion to those who have brought them,” a lavish lifestyle. He said a parliament
teed that he would bring back his elder he said. whose members did not pay taxes had
brother to the country, but it never hap- “The prime minister says that the no “legal and moral” justification to im-

pened. He termed it a “joke with the opposition is inciting the army. Which pose taxes on the people.
Intelligence Coordination Body
Finally Becomes Functional

Islamabad: The long-awaited Na- Prime Minister appreciated the eration for unified and wholesome

tional Intelligence Coordination ongoing efforts and expressed sat- National Intelligence Assessment”.

Committee (NICC), the liaison isfaction over the performance of Discussions on the establish-
body for the country’s spy agencies, National Intelligence Coordination ment of NICC were held late last

is finally functional. Committee,” the Prime Minister Of- year and the prime minister had ap-
Prime Minister Imran Khan on fice (PMO) said in a statement on proved the new forum in November. Islamabad: More than 283 Paki- Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

Wednesday presided over the inau- the meeting. Several efforts were made in the stani nationals are being deported say these deportees perhaps could

gural session of the committee at The Director General of ISI past for such a coordination struc- by over a hundred countries daily not get proper support of Pakistan

the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) would be the convener of the NICC, ture, but failed because of differenc- since 2015. missions abroad, a move which led

headquarters. whereas a senior official of IB would es over its leadership and turf wars Dreams of hundreds of thou- to an alarming rise in deportees in
The meeting was attended by serve as its secretary. between different agencies. sands of Pakistanis for greener pas- recent years.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Officers from ISI are expected There are over two dozen intel- tures shattered after they all were Over 72 percent of total figures

Ahmed, Information Minister to initially provide the secretarial ligence organizations in the country. expelled either for illegal entry, were deported from seven friendly

Fawad Chaudhry, heads of the ser- support for the new body. However, The setting up of the NICC as part having bogus travel documents or countries namely Saudi Arabia,
vices’ intelligence agencies, Intelli- a separate secretariat would be sub- of the long-awaited reform of the expiry of their work permits in the Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran

gence Bureau and Federal Investiga- sequently set up, a security official intelligence apparatus is expected to host countries. More than 618,877 and Turkey. The average deportation

tion Agency. said. improve their coordination and op- Pakistanis have been deported from of Pakistanis during the six-year

“A comprehensive briefing fol- The forum was officially no- timize their capabilities. 138 countries since 2015, according period numbered 321,590 (147 per

lowed by discussion on enhanced tified on Jan 22 as “a platform for An official said the NICC to the official data the Geo News day) from Saudi Arabia whic

intelligence cooperation was held. Intelligence Coordination/ Coop- NICC, P28 obtained exclusively. Officials of the DEPORTATION, P28
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