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ISLAMABAD, June 30: The National Assembly on Wednesday unanimously appealed to the Iraqi authorities, ulema and influential persons to play their role in seeking the safe release of Pakistani national Amjad Hafeez made hostage by militants in Iraq.
Reading out from a consensus resolution, the leader of the Opposition Maulana Fazlur Rahman said it was a source of extreme shock and sorrow for the entire nation to see a Pakistani national taken hostage in Iraq, and all the members of this august house appeal for his release.
Earlier Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said that he had ordered the Pakistani ambassador to Iraq to use all his resources to reach out to the concerned authorities for getting the Pakistani citizen released.
He said, "I have no objection if religious leaders who wield influence amongst Iraqi religious hierarchy were able to use their influence in achieving the objective. He said, it was a human problem and not a political issue which needed collective efforts by both the government and the opposition.
The movers of the resolution included prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, parliamentary leader of PPP Parliamentarians Makhdoom Amin Fahim, leader of the opposition Maulana Fazlur Rahman, parliamentary leader of MMA Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Hamid Zahid PML, Dr.Farooq Sattar parliamentary leader of MQM, Rao Sikandar Iqbal and Aftab Sherpao of PPP, Dr.Ghazi Gulab Jamal from FATA, and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.
FOREIGN OFFICE: Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan said on Wednesday that the government of Pakistan is making all out efforts for the release of Amjad Hussain, APP reported.
This is a very delicate, sensitive and rather complicated issue requiring careful efforts to avoid any mishap, the spokesman told a private television network. "Our liaison office has been advised to make efforts for the release of Amjad Hussain at every level and we are in close contact with it," the Spokesman said.
We have also asked the religious authorities there, to play their role to ensure safe release of Amjad Hussain, he added. He said Pakistan government and people have been greatly shocked over the kidnapping of Amjad Hussain.
He is the only breadwinner of his family including a widowed mother, three young sisters and a brother, the spokesman said. He said there are thousands of Pakistanis working in Gulf States and Amjad Hussain is one of them working as a driver in a Kuwaiti firm.
