KARACHI: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday downplayed the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) threat to withdraw support from the federal government, saying ups and downs come in politics and there is no serious rift between the government’s coalition partners. .
PPP spokesperson Shazi Marri on Sunday expressed displeasure that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not take her party into confidence in taking crucial decisions. She also warned that the federal government would collapse if the PPP withdrew its support.
She said that the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has kept the PPP and the Sindh government in the dark about the establishment of the Pakistan Maritime and Seaports Authority (PMSPA).
The PPP spokesperson also said that they have been demanding a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for a long time, but no CCI meeting has been convened for the past 11 months.
“There’s always a bit of musical rhythm in a coalition government, just like in a family. Within a family, siblings or family members can have their disagreements.”
“But this does not mean that there is any serious rift. Whatever the issue is, we are dealing with it internally in a mature manner,” the planning minister told reporters in Karachi while speaking alongside PPP leader and Sindh minister Nasir Hussain Shah.
The federal minister further explained that PML-N and PPP are the main political parties of the country with their different ideologies. However, he claimed that they agreed on the development of Pakistan – to be on the same page in the interest of the country.
“This understanding was the basis of the Charter of Democracy signed by Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. It reflects the essence of democracy where two advanced political parties work together for the betterment of the country.”
The federal minister further said that given the current circumstances, senior officials from both parties believe that the country requires a policy of cooperation rather than confrontation.
Iqbal mentioned that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will convene a meeting of the National Finance Commission (NFC) soon.
“Cyberspace is the New Frontier”
The minister was also asked about the state of the country’s digital infrastructure in light of the ongoing internet outages that have persisted since early last year.
Iqbal, who is also an engineer, said technology is both a “huge opportunity” and a “threat”. He mentioned that cyberspace is the new frontier, just as a nation defends its borders, it also needs to defend its cyberspace.
“Every country strives to protect its cyberspace because failure to do so can cripple a nation by compromising its energy, financial and insurance structures,” he said.
The minister said every country, from Australia to America, is working to secure its cyberspace. Pakistan, he noted, was late in taking this decision.
Iqbal said the government is providing 24/7 VPN service to software firms, which has also led to a 34% increase in software exports. “This is a temporary phase, you will see gradual improvement.
He said Pakistan was facing “hidden” challenges that the government had to work on to ensure the security of its people. The minister mentioned that there are claims that the US election was hijacked through social media.
“If the US faces such challenges, we are far behind them,” he said.
