Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi started speaking on the point of order in the National Assembly resumed after a long break.
During the break, a meeting was held between the opposition and treasury benches in the NA Speaker Asad Qaiser’s chamber where the opposition urged the speaker to hold the proceedings according to the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Picking up from where he left, Qureshi criticized the parliamentarians who jumped ships and stand with the opposition.
He went on to add that Pakistan was a sovereign state and would not be dictated by another country.
The foreign minister reiterated the PM’s statement that Pakistan will be a partner in peace but will not partner in conflict.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said blatant attempts are being made for regime change in Pakistan and history will expose the elements behind it.
He said Pakistan being a sovereign state will not accept dictation from any other country.
He said the threat letter is authentic which was forwarded by a seasoned diplomat. He proposed an in-camera session of the parliament on the matter. He said the ambassador in Washington can be asked to give a briefing to the house to ascertain whether or not the document is authentic.
The foreign minister said Pakistan desires to improve relations with all the countries including the United States, China, Russia and the European Union to enhance its diplomatic space. He said we do not want to be hostile to any country.
Taking the floor, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto asked the speaker and Amjad Ali Khan Niazi, who was briefly chairing the session, to not become party to the contempt of court.
He reminded the speaker that he was bound by the ruling of the court to conduct the voting on the no-confidence motion.
Asad Umar said that this was not a clash between parties, rather this was an ideological conflict between ‘beggars are not choosers’ and ‘absolutely not’.
PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari tried bringing the speaker’s attention to the agenda of the house and ‘humbly’ requested him to begin the voting on the no trust motion.
