Panamagate, Kashmir to figure on cabinet agenda

The meeting will also focus on government’s development plan

ISLAMABAD: After a gap of around four months, the federal cabinet is finally scheduled to meet today in Islamabad (Thursday) in what is being seen as a crucial huddle to map out government’s future strategy vis-à-vis a number of prevalent issues.

Federal ministers, advisers and other cabinet members— including Ishaq Dar, Chaudhry Nisar, Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Birjees Tahir, Ahsan Iqbal, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Abid Sher Ali, Nasir Janjua, Sartaj Aziz, Tariq Fatemi and others are scheduled to show up at the cabinet huddle.



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to exchange notes with his close confidantes and formulate plans accordingly on the recently launched two-year development plan, Panamagate, unrest in Indian Kashmir (IOK), United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA’s) upcoming session starting September 13, implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP),  proposed restoration of the Protection of Pakistan Act (PoPA) and the premier’s scheduled visit to Karachi tomorrow (Friday) to review security situation in the cosmopolitan city, The Express Tribune learnt from the insiders at the Prime Minister’s House.

A one-liner from Prime Minister’s House, however, did not detail any specifics. “The prime minister has convened the cabinet meeting on Thursday,” was all that it said.

The cabinet last met in Islamabad on April 27. After Premier Nawaz flew to London for open heart surgery in May, he chaired a cabinet meeting via video link from there ahead of the federal budget’s release in early June.

On July 15, the prime minister chaired a special cabinet meeting in Lahore that was held exclusively to take stock of increasing Indian atrocities in Kashmir. The meeting agreed on convening a joint session of parliament to discuss the situation in Indian Kashmir, which has not been done so far.

“Speedy implementation of the development plan is top on the cabinet meeting’s agenda,” a well-placed official privy to the matter said, adding that progress on energy projects to meet electricity shortage would be reviewed.



In addition, options to engage opposition on Panamagate would also be discussed in today’s huddle.

Furthermore, headway in the NAP Implementation Committee formed in the aftermath of Quetta carnage and options to restore PoPA are also likely top figure high in the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2016.