Govt have no plans to scrap 18th Amendment: Shah Mehmood Qureshi

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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday assured the opposition in the Senate that the government had no plans to scrap the 18th Constitution Amendment.

“It is not our strategy and politics to bury the 18th Amendment,” he said while responding to the points raised by the opposition during a discussion on coronavirus and related issues in the Senate.

He said all the ‘positive’ features of the constitutional amendment were acceptable to the government, but highlighted the need to revisit the ‘weak’ parts. He said as the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf alone did not enjoy a two-thirds majority in the parliament, this could not be done. “The opposition therefore need not worry,” he remarked.

Rejecting the allegation of discrimination against Sindh in the federal government’s drive to contain coronavirus, the foreign minister said the disbursements made to the province refuted the claim. “Will Sindh not benefit from the Rs50 billion subsidy for the Utility Stores?” he asked.

Mr Qureshi, who had accused the Pakistan Peoples Party of using the Sindh card in the National Assembly a day earlier as well, reiterated the statement. He added that the PPP ideology in the past was enriched with the fragrance of federalism, but regretted that it was now stinky with bias.

Apparently in response to the opposition remarks about the missing national leadership and confusion over policy, the foreign minister said there was no ‘confusion’ over lockdown in the country, as a clear policy was in place that also had an input from the PPP.

Lockdown was not the only solution to the pandemic, he believed, explaining that it was an element of the overall strategy of the government to contain coronavirus. He denied that Prime Minister Imran Khan said the elite had got the lockdown enforced. The PM just said the elite class had the capacity to sustain lockdown but it was otherwise for the have-nots who were feared to die from hunger, he insisted.

In response to questions regarding PM Khan’s absence from the parliament, the foreign minister said that the premier was in Islamabad and chaired a meeting on virus-related issues daily.

“In a parliamentary democracy, the importance of the parliament cannot be eschewed,” he stated.

The National Coordination Committee also included Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Mr Qureshi said.

The decision to ease lockdown had been taken in view of expert opinions. He said 18.6 million workers would have become jobless and 21 to 27 million people would have slipped below the poverty line if “complete” lockdown had been enforced.

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