Investigating violence: Khurshid Shah elected head of all-party panel

Parliamentary committee on Karachi, Balochistan violence elects its chairman.

ISLAMABAD:

A parliamentary committee constituted to investigate the causes of the latest wave of violence in Karachi and lawlessness in Balochistan met on Tuesday to elect its chairman.

Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Shah, who was unanimously chosen to head the 17-member committee, said he would refer to the law ministry for advice on whether the panel can conduct parallel investigations into a matter already being heard by the Supreme Court.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) floated the idea of forming a fact-finding commission on Karachi in a National Assembly session
last month.

Shah’s name was proposed by Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and he was unanimously elected by committee members.

The all-party panel was formed by National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza last month in pursuance of a house motion. The motion unanimously adopted by the National Assembly on August 12 called upon the proposed committee to present its recommendations within two months.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th,  2011.