PPP, ANP seek clarification on Nato blockade

Opposition senators from the PPP and Awami National Party questioned on Thursday the government’s ‘silence’ over the blockade of Nato supply routes by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its allies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and asked the government to clarify its position on the issue.

“Why has the federal government abdicated its constitutional role and allowed political parties to block Nato supplies,” PPP parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani said while initiating a debate on the government’s foreign policy.

“Can this be taken as a tacit approval of the federal government?” he asked.

Mr Rabbani put 52 questions before the house and asked the government to clarify its stance on issues such as talks with the Taliban, Afghan policy, drone attacks, ties with India, and Pak-Iran gas pipeline project. He asked the government to brief the house about the gist of visits the prime minister recently paid to the US and Afghanistan and the US officials’ trip to Pakistan. Haji Adeel of ANP claimed that by blocking roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa people of that province were being deprived of their sources of income because protesters were also stopping containers and trucks that were carrying goods under the Afghan Transit Trade.

He said the federal government was watching this as a spectator.

He regretted that no one stopped Nato supplies when weapons were being transported to Afghanistan through these routes but the same were being blocked now when foreign troops were about to leave the region. The ANP leader said Afghanistan is a sovereign country and his party would strongly resist interference in its affairs. He asked the government to grant citizenship to those Afghans who were born in Pakistan. During the question hour, the Senate was informed that by Nov 27 a total of 1,082 cases of missing persons had been registered. In a written reply, Minister of State for Interior Balighur Rehman informed the house that the number of missing persons in the Commission of Inquiry of Enforced Disappearances stood at 813 and the number of cases pending before the Supreme Court was 304. He said 14 cases were pending before the Lahore High Court, 174 before the Sindh High Court, 101 before the Peshawar High Court and 22 before the Balochistan High Court. Forty cases were registered in Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Senate Chairman Nayyar Bokhari deferred the question when members from Balochistan expressed dissatisfaction over the reply, saying that the number of cases belonging to their province was not correct. Meanwhile, responding to a call-attention notice moved by Moula Bux Chandio of PPP, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq said there was no proposal under consideration to close 450 small railway stations. He, however, said Railways was not in a position to open those stations that had already been closed, particularly the ones between Hyderabad and Badin. Mr Rafiq said that in line with the Supreme Court’s decision, they were writing letters to all chief ministers to seek possession of Railways’ land. He said the issue was being taken to the Council of Common Interests.

“If the issue is not resolved, we reserve the right to go to the court,” he added.