Opposition to be invited for talks on LFO, says Rashid
By Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, June 26: Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali has asked the opposition parties to withdraw the no- confidence motion against the National Assembly speaker, federal information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday.
Briefing journalists after the federal cabinet’s meeting, federal information minister said that he would invite leaders of opposition parties to discuss the LFO issue after resolution of the no-trust move.
Mr Ahmad said that the prime minister had “desired” that it would be appropriate if the opposition parties withdrew their vote of no-confidence against the speaker.
The federal minister said that the government wanted the opposition to realize that they, being in a minority, could not dictate the majority, claiming that the opposition parties were unable to muster over 145, and may be even less.
The government, he said, would not keep MNAs from coming to the Parliament building, adding that no outsider would be allowed to accompany them.
He said members of the ruling party and its allies would demonstrate their strength by not sitting in their seats, adding that they would abstain from taking part in the voting as they were not bound by any law in this regard.
Referring to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s demonstration over the Thal canal, he said, it was a patriotic party and if it had any reservations on any issue, those can be redressed.
Briefing journalists about the cabinet’s meeting, he said that the cabinet had expressed its satisfaction over President Pervez Musharraf’s United States visit.
The Federal Cabinet, he said, had decided to disburse a billion rupees equally among nearly 1,300 police stations in the country. The money, he said, would be spent by committees, comprising Nazims of the respective local union councils for improvement in infrastructure, purchase of equipment, refurbishment, training and health facilities for the police.
The cabinet, he said, had also approved the ‘Model Off-Shore Production Sharing Agreement,’ enabling the ministry of petroleum and natural resources to conclude discussion with TotalFinaElf of France. The agreement, he said, would pave way for drilling at least one exploration well in ultra-deep waters for the first time with an investment of over $25 million and would lead to further investment ranging between $2 and $3 billion.
The agreement, first of its kind in the history of the country, is expected to open up further opportunities of foreign investment in offshore oil drilling sector.
