Karachi, Quetta situation: Multiparty committee to spearhead peace efforts

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza on Sunday constituted a 17-member all-parties committee to spearhead political efforts to restore peace in Karachi and Quetta more than two weeks after a house motion called for it.

But there was scepticism about whether and how the initiative would work in the wake of subsequent developments, including a government decision to launch a ‘surgical’ operation against criminals and growing differences among leading political parties having stakes in the city.

The committee has also been mandated to look into the law and order situation in Quetta (Balochistan) and report back to the house within two months, said a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat.

The decision was taken by the speaker in pursuance of the motion moved under Rule 224(B) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, the statement added.

The special committee consists of members from seven political parties from different regions.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has five members in the committee. The ruling PPP has nominated  members from all over the country, and the largest opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has been given representation of four members in the committee.

There are three members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), two of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), while the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F), and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) have one member each in the special committee.

Members nominated by their parties for the special committee include Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Noor Alam, Dr Ayatullah Durrani, Abdul Qadir Patel, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Zahid Hamid, Rana Tanvir Hussain, Ghous Bux Khan Maher, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Zubaida Jalal, Syed Haider Abass Rizvi, Khwaja Sohail Mansoor, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Haji Khuda Bux Rajar.

A notification to this effect has been issued by the National Assembly Secretariat on Sunday.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th,  2011.