ISLAMABAD: Opposition members in the National Assembly on Thursday claimed that thousands of Pakistanis were deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in just a few weeks.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-supported parliamentarian Shehryar Afridi advised the government to find mediators to resolve the issues between Pakistan and the UAE. According to Afridi, some elements are active in widening the gulf between the two governments and their peoples. He pointed out that overseas Pakistanis from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country have been contributing significantly to remittances from the UAE.
He said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi follows a line of thought that is against ground realities, which is why the law & order situation is deteriorating in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The opposition member, while condemning terrorism originating from Afghanistan, suggested the government engage pro-Pakistan groups that exist in the neighbouring country.
He asked the government not to push the PTI leadership and its supporters to the wall, saying that Pakistan belongs as much to his party as to the PMLN, JUIF and PPP. “Take along all political parties with you,” he said. He alleged that the government was not allowing medical treatment to Imran Khan and his wife according to the jail manual.
Another opposition member, Sher Afzal Marwat, questioned whether parliament is independent enough to draft its own laws and address the problems of masses. Marwat claimed that 18,000 Pakistanis, particularly those belonging to a certain sect, have been deported from the UAE and the process is still going on.
Another PTI-supported parliamentarian, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, taking the floor, said Pakistanis living in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries are being arrested, imprisoned and sent back to Pakistan. “Despite holding legal documents, they are subjected to inhuman behaviour before being deported,” he said. He asked the government to take the issue of deportation of Pakistanis from Middle Eastern countries seriously.
Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who was presiding over the proceedings, referred the matter to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs for detailed discussion.
Meanwhile, responding to a calling attention notice from JUIF MNAs, Parliamentary Secretary for Petroleum Division Mian Khan Bugti said the government had taken care of IMF conditions while raising prices of diesel and petrol. However, while trying to satisfy opposition members, he said there is no GST on petroleum products and the government aims to provide relief to the public, mentioning the subsidy being provided to motorcyclists on petrol. He said only a Rs15 per litre petrol price increase was imposed last week.
Responding to a point raised by Usman Badini, the parliamentary secretary gave an interesting statement, saying there is no issue of petrol prices or shortage due to the proximity of Pak-Iran border there. Usman Badini, one of the movers of the calling attention notice, said the government continuously raises petroleum product prices but does not allow people there to import Iranian petrol, which is available for just Rs100 per litre. He expressed complete dissatisfaction with the parliamentary secretary’s response.
