ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman along with Central Information Secretary PPP Faisal Karim Kundi briefed the media about the meeting chaired by Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and condemned the rise in terror activities in Swat.
Minister Rehman said, “Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has told us that PPP only has one issue to attend to, which is providing relief to 33 million people for which we don’t have resources for. Our focus is to provide relief and save lives. There are 20 million people who are still in immediate need, and UN agencies on ground are astounded by the scale of this flood, calling it unprecedented.”
While responding to a question about Imran Khan’s protest call, she said, “While we prefer to not even discuss politics during this climate disaster, Imran Khan is taking "Nazi oaths" and spreading poison among the citizens for his hunger for power. We have also done marches in the past – from Karachi to Islamabad – but we never even harmed a single tree. Chairman Bilawal was clear that it’s our duty to respect the law and make sure no one is harmed. But when Imran Khan marches, he is coming with sticks and stones. They are making threats, and they expect us to sit silently? For four years, he damaged Pakistan and its interests, and to bring the country back from there is not easy, for which we are paying a political price.”
The senator continued, “We strongly condemn the recent audio-leaks, and are investigating. When Imran Khan was Prime Minister, he used to say we were on ‘one page’ with the establishment the way we have support, no government has ever had before. Now, he says that when I was Prime Minister, I didn’t have any power or authority. He is the master of U-turns, and he is taken so many of them that now he is spinning around in dizzying circles.”
Minister Rehman said, “PPP’s policy is to fight and raise voice against terrorism. Benazir Bhutto shaheed was a victim of terrorism. She said the only flag that will rise in Swat will be of Pakistan. She was the one who stood firm and fought for people of Swat and said no one can challenge the state. The terror attack in Swat is barbaric – PPP extends solidarity to the victims, and we stand with them. While the party strongly and consistently condemns any sort of extremism and militancy, we don’t want to see terrorism rising again in this country for which our armed forces and civilians have paid a huge price fighting a war over the last few decades.”
She concluded by saying, “We are alert about this, and we have raised this issue at cabinet level. Attacking schools and children is something our religion doesn’t allow, not even humanity allows it. We have paid the price, and we have won a war for which we never received any recognition. Counter terrorism is the hardest form of warfare – it is like eating soup with a fork. Now when terrorism decides to rise again in our country, it is important for us to condemn and rise against it.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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