President Appeals Opposition Parties To Unite On Kashmir Issue

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President appeals opposition parties to unite on Kashmir issue

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Sep, 2019 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday appealed to the opposition parties that despite having political differences with the government on a number of issues there should be no difference on the Kashmir issue.

In an interview with a private television channel, the President regretted disunity among politicians on Kashmir issue and said the unity he saw among the political parties in India on Kashmir issue was greater than Pakistan.

To a question about JUI (F) Chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman's threat to march on Islamabad, if the government did not step down , the president said it was the democratic right of Maulana to hold protest rallies, but such protests should not harm the Kashmir cause.

About fresh polls in the country, the president said, he did not see any such thing in the future.

About rumours regarding Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz's deal to leave the country, the president said that he had no information about any such deal.

Terming the civil military relations as very good, the President said that extension in the service of Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was an important decision as it was good for civil-military unity.

He said presently the country was confronted with critical issues like Kashmir and Afghanistan, and in such circumstances having civil-military understanding was need of the hour.

To a question about the controversy of the gas cess involving Rs 208 billion, the president opined that the government could not defend the matter properly. He recalled that while being an MNA, he had opposed the cess and when it was imposed, many people had challenged it in the court and it took long to settle the matter.

He said by withdrawing the ordinance, the prime minister took a right decision who thought that the matter should be settled by the court.

To a question about the fate of reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa, he said it was the Supreme Court to decide the matter. He said after receiving the reference, he had found some allegations in it and referred it to the Supreme Court for investigation.

To a question that the parliament could not work during the last one year, the president said it makes two to tango. He said it was parliament responsibility to oppose on merit but it should not affect work.

The nation's making progress is reflected from the decisions they take on merit and their decisions reflect their unity on national importance, he said.

If parliament is pre-occupied, it impacts other issues of national importance, the President said and added that it also undermines the parliament making the people raise questions.

It is also the government and opposition's collective responsibility to carry on business. There is more disputes than business, he added.

The president said if the opposition parties leaders were in jails, the other party leaders should do the task.

About the ongoing accountability process , the president said he was not satisfied and it should be more strict. People demand the money be paid back, he added.

At the same time, the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) performance should be non-partisan.

"This is a message of the chief justice. NAB should do it. NAB itself cannot combat corruption across the country, so catching the big fish is essential," the president said.

About economic problems of the country, the President said, there were challenges but the government could overcome them. He said efforts were being made to increase the tax net and in that context the government's efforts were bearing fruits, as the number of filers was persistently increasing.