Middle East diplomatic crisis echoes in National Assembly

The escalating Middle East diplomatic rift echoed in the National Assembly on Tuesday during a session intended for discussion of the budget, with opposition leaders calling for clarity in Pakistan’s stance regarding the issue.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking on a point of order, raised the matter of the rift, lamenting that the Foreign Ministry appeared confused at a time when severe crisis appeared to be developing in the region.

We don’t want and cannot afford strained relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, Qureshi cautioned, adding that six countries had boycotted Qatar.

Touching upon the matter of the Saudi military alliance, of which Pakistan is also a part, Qureshi said, “Initially, it was said that the coalition was being made against terrorism but Iran was kept away and now Qatar was set aside on the pretext of supporting terrorists.”

“The Foreign Office has not cleared its position as yet,” he pointed out, adding that in his view, the entire region is moving towards instability.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah feared that if the situation in the Middle East worsened, it would have repercussions for Pakistan.

“The Muslim world has been facing unrest. Can’t Pakistan summon an emergency session of the Conference of Islamic Countries (OIC)?” he asked.

PTI’s Qureshi also turned his guns towards the ruling party and said that instead of the budget, the entire nation is discussing a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Sharif family and how a a photo of the prime minister’s son, Hussain Nawaz, was leaked.

Qureshi asked why a Qatari royal who was linked to the case refused to visit the country while the Sharif family’s case hinged upon his letter.

Treasury members interrupted the speech when Qureshi began discussing the Sharif family, but Speaker Ayaz Sadiq intervened and said that any issue could be addressed during the budget session.

Source: Dawn News