ISLAMABAD: Member National Assembly of ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Amjad Ali Khan proposed a resolution “to discuss the issue of expulsion of the French envoy”.
At the start of the session, PTI lawmaker Amjid Ali Khan moved a resolution condemning blasphemous caricatures by French magazine Charlie Hebdo which were published last year. The resolution also regretted the French’s president “encouragement of the elements hurting the sentiments of the hundreds of millions of Muslims in the name of freedom of expression”.
The resolution asked for a debate to be held on the issue of expelling the French ambassador from Pakistan, and to “apprise all European countries, especially France, of the gravity of this matter”. It further said detailed discussions on the matter should be held with all Muslim countries and it should be taken up jointly on international forums.
The resolution has been tabled after multiple rounds of negotiations between the incumbent PTI and the banned Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP). According to the PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan, the content of the resolution had been decided by stakeholders of the government and the TLP.
“This house demand a discussion on the issue of expelling French envoy from Pakistan,” reads the resolution. “The house also demand that European countries especially France should be communicated about the seriousness of the issue of blasphemy.” The PTI lawmaker also sought the formation of a special committee to consider the resolution regarding the matter which he termed “highly sensitive”. This motion was adopted with a majority.
While making a speech on the floor of the house, former federal minister of the PML-N Ahsan Iqbal criticized the government for moving the resolution through a private member and failing to make it the official business of the house by moving the resolution through a cabinet member. “Why is the government not taking ownership of the resolution if this resolution resulted from an agreement with the government and the TLP. It would have been more appropriate that a federal minister should have moved the resolution, the interior minister is here, but this has been moved through a private member,” he said.
“The resolution has contradictions within it, it has been moved by a private member and wants to discuss the expulsion of the French envoy, but also simultaneously states that foreign policy should be made by the state and the government. Then what does the government hold in regards to this expulsion?” Ahsan Iqbal asked.
Federal Minister Asad Umar said that the nature of the resolution is as such that it should be passed unanimously and the house should be able to talk over the contents. With this the speaker adjourned the house till Friday, to allow the government and the opposition to go over the contents of the resolution and reach a consensus.
