Senate Question-Hour: Mushahid Hussain asks FM Qureshi to brief House on confused foreign policy

ISLAMABAD: Opposition in the Senate on Friday called for briefing from Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Pakistan’s foreign policy, particularly with reference to Kashmir, as the Foreign Office spokesperson had repudiated a minister’s statement on this count.

PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who heads the House Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs as its chairperson, raised the matter in the House, following the question hour and said that it was perhaps for the first time that the Foreign Office spokesperson repudiated a minister’s statement and politely criticised her for saying there was a narrow vision regarding Kashmir.

“I think she was referring to Dr. Shireen Mazari, who had given a statement. There appears confusion with regards to foreign policy. Prime Minister in Malaysia said it was his mistake, he should have attended the Kuala Lumpur moot but could not do so due to a misunderstanding,” he pointed out.

Likewise, he noted that there was a news also that the special meeting of OIC foreign ministers on Kashmir was not being held perhaps due to reservations by some people.

He said the foreign minister should come to the House for a briefing on foreign policy and what exactly is our foreign policy and if there was confusion what were the issues or problems, as people from within the government were expressing reservations and it meant there was something wrong somewhere and the government should clarify that. It was about time, he emphasized that the government should adopt a clear policy.

PML-N Senators Mushahidullah Khan and Muhammad Javed Abbasi rose to grill the government on the recent ‘flour crisis’ and sugar price increase and asked Prime Minister to name the mafia, involved in these issues, plaguing the masses.

Senator Mushahidullah, during the question hour, noted that it was the Supreme Court, which questioned about the process of appointment of PIA CEO and sent him home, whose friend set up a firm and was registered two months back; was given contract for internal entertainment system in PIA planes.

“Names of some ministers also surfaced in the apex court in relation to proposed sale of a hotel in France and Roosevelt hotel in US. A spectacle (tamasha) was witnessed in the court,” he charged. Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan strongly defended the tendering process being completely transparent and said that the lowest bidder was local with Rs700 million offer and that neither work was allotted nor payment made and he could not talk in detail, as the matter was sub-judice. Senator Javed Abbasi, on a point of public importance, urged for a debate on what he called the biggest ever dacoity committed under the whet/flour crisis, which saw flour price spiraling from Rs40 to Rs70 per kg and billions were pocketed by some families and individuals.

He called for probe into who ordered export of wheat first and then it was ordered to be imported and how prices of sugar went up. “The government wants to hide it but people want to know and it is the privilege of the House to know exactly why and how it all happened.

Senator Abbasi referred to a minister, who claimed that he was given threats if talked about sugar issue and that the matter was discussed in the cabinet meeting that a certain mafia was involved in it. “We want to know about the mafia, which is so powerful that the state and the government are unable to cope with it. The very minister sought security, as the mafia threatened him of how resourceful it is,” he noted.

PkMAP Senator Usman Khan Kakar alleged that intelligence agencies in Loralai were targeting activists, belonging to PTM and impeding their preparations for their public meeting, to be held on February 9. He charged that PTM activist Qayyum was picked up and beaten back and blue, claiming people were being forced to resort to violence, though they had been peaceful throughout. He added they wanted to create another Waziristan.

Senator Keshoo Bai of PPP raised the issue of a controversial remark regarding Hindus, inscribed on posters by PTI Lahore chapter secretary general on Kashmir Solidarity Day and said it was more dangerous than coronavirus and noted the Hindu community was deeply hurt by it.

She regretted that so far the Prime Minister had taken no action in this context. Leader of the House Syed Shibli Faraz rose to say that she was justified to complaint about it but he clarified that it was neither the government nor PTI’s policy and all minorities were as much Pakistanis as were the Muslims. Minister of State Ali Muhammad Khan also condemned this act and apologised to the Senator, saying it was not the government policy and Punjab PTI had sought explanation from PTI activist and banners were removed too.