Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Former president Asif Ali Zardari’s spokesperson on Friday dismissed criticism of the PPP co-chairperson’s speech in the National Assembly on August 7, which has been critised by some political quarters as being anti-Muhajir (refugees).
While speaking during the second day of the joint session of parliament on Wednesday, Zardari had asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to keep ‘historical context’ in mind while devising the future of course of action regarding India’s move to revoke the autonomy for occupied Kashmir.
He said the prime minister did not need to inform his party of Hindutva’s fundamentalist tactics in India, because it was already aware of those realities.
The former president then proceeded to justify his argument through national history by claiming that it was the people of Sindh and Bangladesh who had ‘made Pakistan’ and that those who migrated from India had no contribution towards the Pakistan Movement.
‘Sindh and Bangladesh made Pakistan, you did not make Pakistan. You just migrated here. You were just driven from there (India) and ran here to seek refuge. We gave you refuge and we welcome you to stay here, you have a right,’ Zardari had said, addressing Prime Minister Imran only as ‘select’.
‘We created Pakistan so that all Muslims can stay here, we have no objection to that. But to think that you are doing something or can do something is a misconception,’ Zardari said, alleging that Prime Minister Imran’s ‘position’ was too weak to even think of entering into a war with India.
In a statement, the PPP leader’s spokesperson, Aamir Fida Paracha, said that some ‘elements’ were alleging that the remarks made by Zardari were derogatory towards those who migrated to Pakistan at the time of partition.