Islamabad:
The series of Spalist Shama Junjo’s alleged admission to an official delegation became a storm in parliament on Friday, with opposition members in the National Assembly who accused the government of bypassing Palestine consultation and criticizing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s handling of the Gaza issue.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar washed his hands on responsibility when the opposition members, led by former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, tightened their knives over the government’s handling of Palestine.
In a speech in parliament, Ishaq Dar categorically said he had not signed any letter containing Shama Junejo’s name.
“The name of Shama Junjo was not in the letter I wrote. Her name was not included in the official delegation letter. The name was mentioned by speech writers and other staff, but not on the list with my signature,” Dar managed.
Meanwhile, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser criticized the government for not hearing parliament on sensitive issues, especially regarding Palestine. “This parliament should be consulted, but it seems that even their own people are not taking confidence,” he added.
He accused the government of sending conflicting messages and said, “Khawaja Asif says one thing while another ministry is saying something else. He was facing embarrassment”.
Qaiser questioned how “a woman was sent to such a forum” and said her statements had raised doubts.
He condemned Israeli atrocities in Gaza, noting that “more than 60,000 have been martyrated and infrastructure has been destroyed. Brutality is without fantasy.”
He complained about Muslim leader’s silence and asked, “Does even have eight heads of Islamic states tweeted?” He claimed that PM Shehbaz Sharif, by not acting decisively, had “bent the Pakistans in SKAM” and “injured the nation’s feelings with a single tweet.”
“No agreement is acceptable without the consent of Palestinians,” he said, stressing that the story had never witnessed such a tyranny and that “Israel will never be recognized.”
