Foreign relations: Senate body seeks briefing on CIA chief’s visit

Draft bill seeks parliament’s ratification of all foreign agreements.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate standing committee on foreign relations has sought a briefing from the foreign office over a clandestine visit by the chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to Pakistan in February. Chairman of the committee Haji Mohammad Adeel confirmed the meeting, saying the CIA chief’s visit and his meetings with Pakistani civilian and security authorities, among other issues, will be discussed at the meeting.

During Monday’s (today’s) meeting, the committee will also take up ‘The Ratification of Foreign Agreements by Parliament’, a draft bill moved by PPP-P Senator Raza Rabbani. The draft bill could not be discussed in the previous meeting due to Rabbani’s absence. The bill seeks ratification of all foreign agreements made with Pakistan with the parliament.

“We want to know each and every thing about the country’s foreign policy and the parliament has the right to be aware of what is going on,” said Haji Adeel. The chairman added that Pakistan has already paid a ‘high price’ in the past with such ‘clandestine deals’ with foreign allies.

Currently, the Senate committee is dominated by members of the opposition – including the PPP, ANP, PML-Q and MQM – due to their majority in the upper house; the government is thus taken to task regarding policy issues. The government and its allies are represented by four members in the committee having a total strength of 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2014.