July 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1429

PESHAWAR, July 21: Pakistan Muslim League has asked the government to convene session of parliament to debate the worsening law and order situation in tribal areas and the warning by the US officials to carry out attacks against Al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan’s territory.

“The situation in Fata and NWFP is deteriorating. But the government seems not interested in resolving militancy and does not take US threats seriously,” said PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at a news conference here on Monday.

He was flanked by party general secretary Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and provincial president Amir Muqam. “I had given proposals as prime minister for ending militancy in Fata, but those fell on deaf ears. Now we demand convening of Parliament session to debate the situation in tribal areas and hammer out a solution to the radicalisation of the society that had frightened the people,” he added.

Condemning the statement of US presidential candidate Barack Obama, he said that the government should give tit-for-tat response and condemn Obama’s statement in strongest possible words.

He denied reports about presence of training camps of Taliban or Al Qaeda in Fata, adding that this was glaring example of the government’s ineptness that it had not yet rejected the Obama’s allegations regarding Al Qaeda’s training camps.

Even the government did not give response to the threats by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Indian government, he said, adding that decisions were being taken in London and Dubai.

“I, as prime minister, have categorically rejected the proposal of the Foreign Office to send in troops to Iraq because I knew that the move could irk masses,” Mr Hussain said.

He asked Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to take up the issue of terrorism with the US administration during his visit to the country on July 28. He said that opposition members in the parliament would not accompany the prime minister on his US visit as a protest against the US and Nato bombing of Pakistan’s territory.

Regarding defeat of stalwarts of the PML in the previous general elections, he alleged that certain political leaders were defeated under a planned conspiracy. He said that PML, being the founder party of Pakistan, would continue its struggle for democracy.

On the occasion, Senator Mushahid said that the policies pursued by the farmer government were still in practice. Asif Ali Zardari, he said, should be thankful to the former government for bringing the National Reconciliation Ordinance which enabled him to do away with the huge volume of corruption, he had done.

“It’s interesting that rulers are in exile these days. In the past the government exiled the opposition leaders,” he said, adding that Mr Zardari visited the country from abroad occasionally and had no time to take important decisions.

“We want rule of law and support restoration of deposed judges. The present government sent 65 persons to Umra on state’s expenses, who were later provided stay in costly hotel in Dubai. Not that but 53 persons visited Malaysia on the tax payers’ money,” he alleged.