Speaker proposes more MPs for Kashmir cause

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday forwarded the names of more parliamentarians for their inclusion in the list of envoys nominated for internationally highlighting India’s atrocities in Kashmir as the government came under fire from the opposition to have ‘picked and chose’ the members.

The office of the speaker was previously requested to nominate prominent members, a press release from the prime minister’s office said.

“Since the right of self-determination for the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir is a national cause, therefore, full representation from all parties in the envoys’ list is extremely essential,” it added.

PM Nawaz on Saturday had decided to send 22 parliamentarians, as his special emissaries, to different countries and to highlight Kashmir’s issue.

The PM’s spokesperson said that they expected to receive the names of senators in a couple of days. “Once nominations from both the houses of the parliament are complete, the designated envoys would be given a detailed briefing at the Foreign Office,” he said.

Meanwhile, opposition parties took exception to what they saw as lack of appropriate representation. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the first to react and took to Twitter to register his protest.

“Our PM’s solution to Kashmir? Send cronies and allies on state sponsored holidays. Like actually #brand Nawaz Sharif,” he tweeted.

Although PPP lawmaker Nawab Ali Wassan has also been selected to present Pakistan’s case before Russia, Bilawal declared it was a state-sponsored holiday. Taking it one step ahead, PPP Senator Saeed Ghani said that this was not the way to highlight the issue.

The decision also drew criticism from PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi who said that the PM seemed to have ‘picked and chose’ members.

“Is PTI not a patriotic party or we (PTI) have a negative approach towards the Kashmir issue,” said Qureshi.

He agreed that a strong message should be sent to the world but no one from his party was selected showing  the PM’s biased choosing.

PML-Q’s Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and MNA Shazra Mansab Ali Khan will represent Pakistan in the US and UN. Interestingly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will highlight the issue in Riyadh, also criticised the decision. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2016.