Opposition political parties which joined hands a week earlier to adopt unanimous stand in the Parliament on recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), Saturday, split over restoration of conditional NATO supply.
Both the major opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supported while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) opposed the proposal of restoring supplies for NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan, however, the Committee chairman hoped to develop consensus among the political parties.
The PCNS met informal and in-camera here at the Parliament with Mian Raza Rabbani in the chair to further discus report of recommendations prepared by the committee on foreign policy and national security related issues.
Well placed sources told Online that the committee agreed to delete three controversial recommendations related to permitting foreign intelligence operatives inside Pakistan, granting Pakistani airbases and military bases to foreign forces on Pakistani soil.
“PML-Q flouted new proposals before the committee to oppose any American attacks on Iran which got support from committee members” sources said adding that both major political parties of opposition PML-N and JUI-F remained divided over the restoration of conditional supply to NATO. JUI-F while taking the strict stand asked the government not to restore NATO supply at any cost saying that the party would vote against any resolution in this regard in the House.
Ishaq Dar, Munir Aurakzai, Afrasiab Khattak, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Mushahid Hussain Syed and Nadeem Afzal Gondal were present in the meeting.
Later, while talking to reporters after the meeting, JUI-F head Maulan Fazl ur Rehman said that his party supported complete and permanent closure of NATO supply and JUI-F supported government’s decision of cutting off NATO supply.
Talking to reporters, PCNS Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani said that building consensus among the political parties was an ongoing process and hopefully all the political parties would be brought on same page on draft of recommendations as deliberations were underway.