PM urges nation for peaceful protest over blasphemous film

Islamabad: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Wednesday called upon the nation to register their protest peacefully over the blasphemous film.
The Prime Minister expressed these views while chairing the meeting of federal cabinet at the Prime Minister Secretariat here.The cabinet suspended its routine agenda and took up the issue of blasphemous film which was facing strong protests by the Muslim world.

The Prime Minister in his opening remarks said the government strongly condemned the nefarious act. He asked the people to protest peacefully, observe restraint and refrain from damaging the public property. He said he had directed the Ministry of Information Technology to block the YouTube in order to register protest at the availability of this sacrilegious film on the website and demanded its immediate removal. “I intend that a message should go to the world that the federal cabinet of Pakistan strongly condemns this sacrilegious film, which has created unrest amongst the Muslims,” he said.
The Prime Minister also discussed the incidents of fire in a garments factory in Karachi and a shoe factory in Lahore. He expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. He said similarly, he was extremely saddened by the casualties and displacement of people due to the recent torrential rains and flash floods. He mentioned that he had already directed the concerned government agencies to provide best medical facilities to the injured and assistance to the affectees.
He appreciated the bravery of the people of the rain affected areas, who were facing the difficult situation with courage and determination.He also appreciated the role of the armed forces, provincial governments and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the relief and rescue operations.He said a relief package of Rs two billion had been announced for the flood-hit areas of Sindh.He said he also planned to visit rain-affected areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and Balochistan to ensure acceleration of relief operations and announce relief packages.The Prime Minister said he had directed the Government of Sindh to hold an inquiry into the import of large number of infected sheep at Port Qasim, Karachi and to identify the persons responsible for this illegal act. Raja Ashraf apprised the cabinet about his recent visit to China to attend the World Economic Forum.
He said the important international event provided him an opportunity to project Pakistan’s investment and economic potential.He said his discussions with the Chinese and world leaders were very productive. He mentioned that the important issues of maintenance and rehabilitation of Karakorum Highway, overcoming problems of Attabad Lake and cooperation in Banking Sector came under discussion. Further collaboration in the defence sector was also reiterated, he added.
The Prime Minister also apprised the cabinet about his appearance in the proceedings of Supreme Court of Pakistan yesterday where he told the Court that the Government had decided to withdraw ex-Attorney General’s letter that was written to the Swiss authorities in the past.He said it was the resolve of the Government to give maximum time for pursuing policies aiming at moving forward to address keyissues facing us.He said the government believes in the policy of reconciliation and it would continue to tread on this path conscious of the fact that the policy of reconciliation would bring about political maturity and an atmosphere of harmony.