ISLAMABAD, 19 November 2006 — Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz yesterday termed the rush to resign by the Muttaheda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) deputies from the Parliament as “negative politics”.
He said, “If MMA members continue to resign then the government will be left with no other option but to hold ‘supplementry election’ for the seats vacated by MMA. We are not only hopeful, but confident, that the present Parliament will complete its tenure.”
Speaking after a meeting with women educationists and working women at the prime minister’s secretariat, he said, “We have made an amendment in the Hudood Ordinance to provide maximum legal, social and economic protection to women. The government will continue to introduce more reforms.
“But it is unfortunate that the MMA deputies have begun resigning from their Parliament seats. We will not be deterred by such tactics. The MMA is playing negative politics by opposing reforms.”
Responding to a question on the leader of opposition’s threat to stop the implementation of the Women’s Protection and Empowerment Bill in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Balochistan, Aziz said, “No one can challenge the writ of the federal government and no one can block federal legislature.”
On the Indo-US nuclear treaty ratification by the American Senate, he said, “It’s a treaty between two countries. However, we will not give up our legitimate pursuit for energy development. He said Pakistan will set up two more nuclear plants shortly to meet its growing energy requirements.
As our economy grows so too our energy needs. We are seeking a similar treaty with the US, but we will also explore other avenues to acquire civil nuclear development facilities.
The MMA has announced a countrywide movement against the Women’s Protection and Empowerment Bill.
The speaker of the National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain has so far accepted the resignation of Haroon Rashid, who returned from Bajour and had earlier tendered his resignation as a mark of protest against the missile strike at a madrasa in Khar.
The MMA leadership is still not decided about resigning en bloc because there are differences between the two major components of the Alliance the Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat-e-Ulemai Islam, on the future course of action.
Also the JUI’s Maulana Sheerani wants to continue as a coalition partner with the ruling PML (Q) in Balochistan.
While the MMA has not come out with its planned mass movement nor have they followed up on their promise to resign en masse from the Parliament, the chief of Tehrik-e-Insaf Imran Khan launched his party’s solo mass contact and anti-government movement.
He had announced a public meeting in Sahiwal but the Punjab Police dismantled the public address system at the venue and ripped off the posters and banners.
“I am protesting against the pre-election rigging of President Musharraf. Political parties will not be able to state their point of view in the face of such blatant rigging by the president,” he told journalists after the administration prevented him from addressing the Sahiwal public meeting.
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, after inaugurating a paramilitary course at Sihala yesterday, warned the opposition from disrupting law and order. “We have sufficient power to deal with MMA and other parties who seek to launch a mass movement. We will not allow the MMA to disrupt law and order situation.”
He said the government will deal with firmness any unlawful activity in the name of protest against the ‘Women’s Protection and Empowerment Bill’.
Sherpao also disclosed that the FBI will provide training to the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan on ‘Cyber Crime’.
Meanwhile the government has received another request from NATO for the use of Pakistan Air Force’s Shehbaz Airbase, which the US Air Force has been using as a back-up logistic base since 2001. The MMA also oppose the idea of granting any base to American or NATO forces in Pakistan.
