Undecided agenda: Fazl summons Kashmir panel meeting

FO officials to brief lawmakers over recent killings on 20th

ISLAMABAD: After severe criticism of opposition parties, the head of the Special Committee on Kashmir Affairs Maulana Fazlur Rehman called a meeting on July 20 against the latest acts of Indian aggression in Kashmir.

Maulana Fazl, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) persistently failed to call a meeting on Kashmir Affairs since the Indian aggression started two weeks ago. After facing the criticism of opposition parties, the meeting was called by its chairman to discuss the brutal killing of Kashmiri protesters.

According to the agenda of the meeting, foreign ministry officials will brief lawmakers over the recent killings and the government response.

A senior official who is privy to developments in this regard said that Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs Chaudhry Barjees Tahir, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid; Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, Senator Sirajul Haq, who is the Chief of JI, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed; Senator Prof Sajid Mir and Senator Abdul Malik will attend the meeting on special invitation.

The official said that the last meeting took place on May 10 in which development projects of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) were discussed. Only four meetings have so far taken place since the PML-N came into power but the Kashmir issue was not discussed, creating doubts about the chairman’s sincerity.

Since the start of Indian aggression, Fazlur Rehman has verbally condemned the killings of innocent  Kashmiris.

Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said that the meeting was important and there was a hope that a strong message would go across the world. The lawmaker said the struggle of Kashmiris will continue until they are given their rights and lawmakers would continue to support their cause.

On the other hand, the Senate’s Standing Committee on Kashmir was summoned by its chairman, Malik Ibrar Ahmed, on July 25.

Earlier, the meeting was scheduled to be held on July 18. But the date was later changed to July 25.

According to the meeting’s agenda, the secretary on Kashmir affairs was to brief these lawmakers on the developing power and tourism sector in Kashmir and G-B.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.