Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production on Wednesday sought briefing from Defence Ministry about functioning of various departments working under Defence Ministry and the situation arising out of the Iran crisis.
Committee Chairman Nisar Memon presented three years' program of the Committee and informed its new members about its past functioning. The Committee also sought briefings from Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate and National Defence College about their functioning.
"We have presented a three-year Defence Policy to the Committee and have sought briefings from the subsidiaries of Defence Ministry," Nisar Memon told media persons after the meeting.
"This shows the supremacy of Parliament that departments of Defence Ministry appear before the Committee and brief it on their functioning," he said. "All these institutions should be answerable to this Committee, and that is the true spirit of democracy," he added.
He said that Committee members would be presented program for every month, and would not feel the need to requisition a meeting. "Parliamentary system in the country is strong and the government desires to make the Committee system more strong and vibrant," he said. Defence Minister Sikandar Iqbal and Additional Secretary Ministry of Defence, Muhammad Asharf represented the Defence Ministry.
Members of the Committee including Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Jamali, Dilawar Abbas, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Kamil Ali Agha, Khursheed Ahmed and Mahtab Abbasi attended the meeting.
The members appreciated the program presented by the Chairman and endorsed his proposal for foreign visits for expanding defence ties with friendly countries.
Khursheed stressed strong relations with neighbouring countries, expressing reservation on the treatment by US Immigration Department with Pakistan's legislators. Memon also proposed to visit different outfits of Defence Ministry, Line of Control and Siachin area, and the members endorsed the idea.
The Senate Committee agreed to constitute a three-member subcommittee to look into the day-to-day affairs of Pakistan International Airlines. Memon also proposed two visits, one each in 2006 and 2007, to China and the United States to further strengthen defence ties with these countries.
Naeem and Dilawar proposed visits to OIC members countries, and Iran and China for having strong defence ties. Khursheed proposed to bring the defence budget to the Committee and discuss it, although his particular reference was to the routine budgetary allocations for Defence Ministry.
The Committee also endorsed induction of Air Marshal Khursheed Anwar Mirza as Honorary Advisor to the Committee.
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