ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that India is responsible for the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) attack in Karachi a day earlier as New Delhi has planned to destabilize the country.
Speaking at the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday, the Prime Minister appreciated the security personnel for thwarting the attack, which he said, could otherwise have been a major tragedy. “We have no doubt that India is behind the attack,” he categorically said.
Paying his tributes to the martyrs, the Prime Minister said they are heroes of the country. “The following names I’m reading out are Pakistan’s heroes: Sub Inspector Shahid Shaheed and three stock exchange security guards – Iftikhar, Khudayaar, Hasan Ali – and I am saddened to tell you when Hasan Ali’s sister heard of her brother’s martyrdom, she had a heart attack and passed away.”
“I’m paying tribute to them because our security forces made a huge sacrifice and fought [the terrorists] and a major tragedy planned by our neighbouring country, India, to destabilise our country was thwarted,” he added.
The Prime Minister said the four heavily-armed terrorists aimed to stage a hostage situation similar to the one that happened years ago in Mumbai when terrorists had attacked the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2008.
He said the terrorists had planned to do exactly the same in the [Pakistan] Stock Exchange and murder innocent people to create an atmosphere of instability and uncertainty. “We have no doubts that this plan was made by India,” he added.
“My cabinet knew for the last two months [that there would be an attack and] I had informed my ministers. All our agencies were on high alert,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that intelligence agencies had preempted four major terrorism attempts beforehand and two of them were near Islamabad.
“We were fully prepared and I thank God – because no matter how much you’re prepared, you cannot fully stop it, we all know that the world’s most powerful armies and agencies cannot such attacks – but this was a major victory for our nation. Apart from the martyrs, I also wish to pay tribute to our intelligence agencies,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that India must be stopped from the unacceptable path that further usurps the legal and internationally guaranteed rights of the Kashmiri people and seriously imperils peace and security in South Asia.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said that he has approached the UN Secretary General and is reaching out to other world leaders over New Delhi’s move to issue domicile certificates for 25,000 Indian nationals in occupied Kashmir
The Prime Minister said first India’s attempt at illegal annexation of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and now its attempts to alter Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s demographic structure, including by issuance of domicile certificates to 25,000 Indian nationals, are all illegal, in violation of UNSC resolutions and international law, including 4th Geneva Convention.
Last week, the Foreign Office also categorically rejected the grant of domicile certificates of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) by the Indian authorities to reportedly 25,000 Indian nationals.
The Foreign Office spokesperson in a statement said: “The certificates issued to non-Kashmiris including, among others, the Indian government officials under ‘Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure), 2020’ are illegal, void and in complete violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and International law including the 4th Geneva Convention. The Kashmiris have also rejected the bogus domicile certificates.”
Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said the latest action was a vindication of Pakistan’s consistent stance that the major intention behind the Indian government’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 was to change the demographic structure of IOJ&K and turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that women parliamentarians have an important role in the legislation.
The Prime Minister said this while talking to women lawmakers belonging from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf who called on him here on Tuesday.
Expressing their full confidence in the leadership of Imran Khan, they congratulated the Prime Minister for passage of the budget by the National Assembly.
The women parliamentarians also reiterated their support in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s campaign against the corruption. They apprised the Prime Minister about various issues pertaining to their respective constituencies, and problems related to education, health and jobs.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also expressed his gratitude to the women lawmakers, citing NA Chief Whip Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar’s account.
“I especially wish to thank our women [lawmakers] because Chief Whip Aamir Dogar gave me full information about how our women in the entire National Assembly gained as compared to the first year, how they learned, and their performance and improvements. So I wish to pay tribute to them all. I also thank the minorities for their participation with us,” the Prime Minister added. – TLTP