Photo courtesy PID
Criticizing the harassment in London of Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb by a group of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, Special Assistant to the P.M. Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday stressed that such “indecent” behavior cannot be tolerated any longer.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he slammed PTI Chairman Imran Khan for “polluting” the minds of Pakistan’s youth, adding the toxic impact of the former prime minister’s politics of hate and division were distressing and must be curbed. The culprits should be awarded exemplary punishment, he said, adding that he would submit an application to the Interior Ministry for the revocation of the character certificates and passports of the people involved in the incident.
Similarly, he said, the British government would be approached to convey the concerns of the people of Pakistan and seek action against the culprits.
UNGA speech
Earlier, the SAPM appreciated P.M. Shehbaz Sharif for “effectively highlighting” the impact of climate change on Pakistan during his address to the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his address to the UNGA, has effectively pointed out the negative impacts of climate change on Pakistan and highlighted the plight of Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, noting the speech had emphasized how Pakistan—despite contributing less than 1 percent of global emissions—was among the countries most at risk of extreme weather events.
On Kashmir, Tarar said the prime minister had stressed that Pakistan desired peace with all its neighbors, but this was not achievable without a just and lasting solution to the dispute. He noted that Sharif had also pointed out India’s ongoing campaign of repression against Kashmiris and its Muslim community.
Floods
The SAPM also criticized the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Parvez Elahi, lamenting that the provincial cabinet had approved the use of Rs. 1.3 billion to purchase new vehicles for ministers and advisers even as the country reeled from an economic crisis amidst floods. He also accused Elahi of preventing the proroguing of the Punjab Assembly, which has been in session for four months, alleging that Rs. 1.2 billion had been spent on it already.
He claimed that Elahi did not desire the session to be prorogued, as he had lost his majority and feared he would be asked for a vote of confidence by the governor if the session were prorogued.
Referring to the prime minister’s flood relief efforts, he said Sharif had visited all flood-hit areas of the country and met affected families in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh. Meanwhile, he lamented, the Punjab chief minister and his son were spending their time arranging political gatherings for Imran Khan. “Parvez Elahi has not visited the flood-hit areas,” he alleged, adding that PTI leaders were using provincial resources to promote their anti-state narrative.
To a question, he said it was unfortunate that the Punjab chief minister had accused the federal government of not giving any funds for flood victims of the province, noting Rs. 4 billion had been distributed to affected families through the Benazir Income Support Program, as well as tents and food packets. He, in turn, questioned the capacity in which Moonis Elahi, the chief minister’s son, was attending official meetings of the Punjab government.