PM, army chief to hold critical meetings in Riyadh
Terms of reference, degree of Pakistani participation among agenda items
Prime Minister shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa PHOTO: ISPR
ISLAMABAD:
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday confirmed that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa would be traveling to Saudi Arabia next week for a crucial conference on the Saudi-led military alliance.
He confirmed the visit of Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership to Riyadh after the meeting of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, which met here to discuss the Saudi alliance.
The in-camera meeting, however, was marred by hot exchanges between Committee Chairman Khusru Bakhtiar and PTI MNA Shireen Mazari, who eventually walked out of the meeting in protest when the panel refused to take up her bill seeking compulsory parliamentary ratification of the government’s multilateral agreements.
Before storming out of the committee’s meeting, Mazari also had a heated debate with the foreign minister. The PTI MNA said the government’s move to block her bill showed that the civil and military bureaucracy never wanted parliamentary oversight of foreign affairs or national security.
She insisted that in real democracies, seeking parliament’s ratification for international agreements was a normal practice.
PPP MNA Nafeesa Shah asked the chairman to conduct a vote on the issue, but he refused.
Mazari also reminded the government of its promise to take parliament into confidence about Pakistan’s role in the 41-nation military alliance against terrorism.
She alleged that the government had already decided to join the Saudi alliance while bypassing parliament. “No matter what the government says, the alliance is sectarian in nature,” the PTI lawmaker insisted.
The inaugural conference of defence ministers of member countries of the Saudi-led alliance is taking place in Riyadh on Sunday. Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir will represent Pakistan at the daylong conference, which would discuss the possible contours of the military alliance.
PM Abbasi, army chief meet amid apparent strain in civil-military ties
Foreign Minister Asif told reporters that the prime minister and the army chief would also visit Saudi Arabia. He said that apart from discussing the bilateral relationship, the visit would focus on the Saudi military alliance against terrorism.
Pakistan has principally agreed to be a part of the alliance, but the scope of its participation has yet to be decided. The Riyadh moot will likely finalise the terms of reference after which Islamabad would have to make its final call on the military alliance.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister confirmed that US Defence Secretary James Mattis would be coming to Pakistan on December 3. He said during his visit he would meet the prime minister, the army chief and other officials to advance discussions on bilateral issues as well as cooperation between the two countries on the war on terror.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday confirmed that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa would be traveling to Saudi Arabia next week for a crucial conference on the Saudi-led military alliance.
He confirmed the visit of Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership to Riyadh after the meeting of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, which met here to discuss the Saudi alliance.
The in-camera meeting, however, was marred by hot exchanges between Committee Chairman Khusru Bakhtiar and PTI MNA Shireen Mazari, who eventually walked out of the meeting in protest when the panel refused to take up her bill seeking compulsory parliamentary ratification of the government’s multilateral agreements.
PM, army chief arrive in Saudi Arabia
Before storming out of the committee’s meeting, Mazari also had a heated debate with the foreign minister. The PTI MNA said the government’s move to block her bill showed that the civil and military bureaucracy never wanted parliamentary oversight of foreign affairs or national security.
She insisted that in real democracies, seeking parliament’s ratification for international agreements was a normal practice.
PPP MNA Nafeesa Shah asked the chairman to conduct a vote on the issue, but he refused.
Mazari also reminded the government of its promise to take parliament into confidence about Pakistan’s role in the 41-nation military alliance against terrorism.
She alleged that the government had already decided to join the Saudi alliance while bypassing parliament. “No matter what the government says, the alliance is sectarian in nature,” the PTI lawmaker insisted.
The inaugural conference of defence ministers of member countries of the Saudi-led alliance is taking place in Riyadh on Sunday. Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir will represent Pakistan at the daylong conference, which would discuss the possible contours of the military alliance.
PM Abbasi, army chief meet amid apparent strain in civil-military ties
Foreign Minister Asif told reporters that the prime minister and the army chief would also visit Saudi Arabia. He said that apart from discussing the bilateral relationship, the visit would focus on the Saudi military alliance against terrorism.
Pakistan has principally agreed to be a part of the alliance, but the scope of its participation has yet to be decided. The Riyadh moot will likely finalise the terms of reference after which Islamabad would have to make its final call on the military alliance.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister confirmed that US Defence Secretary James Mattis would be coming to Pakistan on December 3. He said during his visit he would meet the prime minister, the army chief and other officials to advance discussions on bilateral issues as well as cooperation between the two countries on the war on terror.