ISLAMABAD: Taking the floor after the session of National Assembly resumed, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said when the National Security Committee (NSC) was informed about the details of the “top-secret document”, the forum decided to immediately demarche and the second order was to summon a session of the Parliament to probe the matter.
Qureshi recalled that on April 3, the deputy speaker never opposed the voting on the no-confidence motion, he only said that an unprecedented situation has arrived and a decision should be taken after consultation on this new development.
He further added that the media and people of Pakistan are aware of the “horse-trading” situation and the “market for sell-outs”. He accused the Opposition members of adopting “unconstitutional measures to purchase loyalties of the MNAs.”
The foreign minister complained that those speaking about the constitution and the judiciary ignored all of these “unconstitutional practices”.
Since the Senate elections, PTI has been time and again complaining about these unjust practices of buying and selling consciences, he said, adding that even when PTI produced enough evidence in the court, the judgment has been reserved for the last one year.
He said history will identify all those people who staged this drama; just like how the corruption of the previous governments was highlighted.
“Today Pakistan is standing at a historic juncture and the people need to decide whether they want to live in an independent state or become slaves [to the West],” he said, acknowledging that today might be his last day as the foreign minister of Pakistan.
“As the foreign minister of Pakistan, I want to bring this to record that when the decision to visit Moscow was taken after due deliberation because of Pakistan’s better future and was taken months before the Ukraine situation emerged,” he said, ignoring the sarcastic comments from the Opposition benches.
He said: “Before we [the government] leave, I want to bring this to your knowledge that the national security adviser of the United States called our national security adviser and categorically asked us not to proceed with the Russia tour.”
“Where in the world does any sovereign state gets direction from other countries and which independent country accepts such directions?” he questioned, as the hall echoed with protests from the Opposition benches.
“Pakistan officials thought that during the visit, the delegation would advocate dialogue and diplomacy because Pakistan is not in favour of any aggression.”
Pakistan is a country that believes in international law, respects the UN charter, believes in self-determination, and has never supported the use of weapons and force,” Qureshi said, adding that when the US national security adviser asked his Pakistani counterpart to avoid the trip “we conveyed this message to them as well.”