PPP’s Naveed Qamar Accuses Khawaja Asif of Using Gul Plaza Fire to Criticize 18th Amendment

Islamabad: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Naveed Qamar accused Federal Minister and PML-N parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif of using the Gul Plaza fire incident in Karachi as a pretext to attack the 18th Amendment.

Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, Naveed Qamar said that Khawaja Asif’s remarks on the 18th Amendment reflect the government’s policy stance. He added that once again, a federal minister has questioned the amendment, and criticism of the 18th Amendment has been reignited under the guise of the fire incident.

Naveed Qamar emphasized that Pakistan is a federal country, and warned against experimenting with undoing provincial powers. He criticized past political manipulation of the curriculum, stating that history has been rewritten and lies taught for decades. He stressed that a strong Pakistan depends on strong provinces.

He further questioned the government’s intent to reclaim resources allocated to provinces, asking how provinces could give up funds for health and education to the federation to pay off loans. Naveed Qamar warned that clinging to outdated politics from the 1970s could jeopardize the country’s future.