Parliamentary body asks government to pursue 'aggressive' diplomacy

Parliamentary Committee on National Security on Monday asked the government to pursue "aggressive" diplomacy with world powers to exert pressure on India for stopping repression against innocent Kashmiris in the wake of August 5 illegal steps. The in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was chaired by Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, Minister for Interior Ijaz Shah, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Masood Khan, Governor Gilgit-Baltistan Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon, Director General Military Operations Major General Nauman Zakeria and members of the committee from the Senate and National Assembly.
The foreign minister briefed the committee on the latest situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of recent session of UN Security Council while the DG MO also gave a presentation to the panel on the preparedness of the Pakistan armed forces to effectively respond to any Indian misadventure.
Talking to reporters after the hours long deliberations, Foreign Minister Qureshi said that the participants shared their recommendations for formulating a comprehensive and effective strategy to deal with the challenges.
"We have already held a special session in the Foreign Office recently with all stakeholders to discuss the way forward - on political, diplomatic and legal fronts - and the committee members in today's meeting also gave fruitful inputs which would be tabulated for a comprehensive strategy," he said.
To a question about the opposition's demand to give representation to the Parliament in the special committee constituted by Prime Minister to formulate Pakistan's response to the India's illegal steps, Qureshi said being an elected member and foreign minister, the parliament is duly represented on the committee.
He said that Law Minister Farogh Naseem, Kashmir Committee Chairman Fakhar Imam, Mushahid Hussain from PML-N, Naveed Qamar from PPP and JI chief Siraj-ul-Haq had also participated in the first meeting of the committee constituted by the Prime Minister.
Qureshi said that on the issue of Kashmir, the whole parliament is united and it will remain united, because it is a national issue and is linked to Pakistan's future. He said that the unilateral steps taken by Modi government are also being opposed by the vast majority from within India and there is no unanimity of opinion across the border on the illegal steps.
"We will have to continue our efforts in the wake of the recent success in the UN Security Council," he added.
About the status of the Simla Agreement after the August 5 illegal steps, the foreign minister said that India through such steps has attacked the spirit of the Simla Agreement, which called for a bilateral approach, but the steps taken are unilateral.
He said that Indian civil society, political parties of IoK and other progressive segment of the Indian society have approached the Indian Supreme Court, adding that Pakistan, one of the party to the dispute, has out-rightly rejected the Indian steps so did the Kashmir people, being the second party.
"So, the Indian government's decision being the third party to the dispute, has become controversial...there is also no unanimity within India and a vast segment of the Indian society believes that Modi has tried to impose his ideology and that Modi government has committed this blunder," Qureshi added.
The foreign minister further said that the newly appointed Special Representative of Prime Minister on Diplomatic Outreach Tehmina Janjua will leave for Geneva on Tuesday to raise the issue of human rights violations in the IOK with the United Nations.
In his presentation to the committee, the DG MO apprised the members that Pakistan's armed forces are well prepared to respond to any situation and misadventure by India, adding that all measures are in place including additional troops on the border.
The committee unanimously rejected and condemned the Indian government's illegal actions as well as the worst human rights situation and the strict restrictions in the occupied valley under the continued curfew.
Sources said that the members belonging to opposition parties urged the government to take the Parliament into confidence on the steps to be taken with regard to the situation in occupied valley.
Talking to media persons, Senator Siraj-ul-Haq said that the opposition parties have underscored the need for convening an international conference on the situation on Kashmir and the Indian designs.
"India has annexed the occupied Jammu and Kashmir. [And] it appears that India wants mediation on Azad Jammu and Kashmir," he said, adding that the situation calls for unity among the nation whether there is going to be a war or to avoid the war. "But the government itself has sabotaged the national unity," he said while referring to the steps taken against the opposition's leadership.