The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday advised the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) to tie the restoration of NATO supplies with the release of Pakistani scientist Dr Afia Siddiqui, while impressing upon the US and the international community to help resolve the Kashmir dispute with India.
Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi, who is representing the PML-N in the PCNS, put forth his party’s recommendations as it ended its three-day boycott of the committee over jacked up fuel prices in the country. He also told the meeting that he would consult his party’s leadership on the proposals finalised by the committee so far in his absence. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rahman reiterated his party’s stance against the restoration of NATO supplies.
Later, PCNS Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani rubbished the reports that the PCNS had succumbed to foreign pressure while forming recommendations on Pakistan’s new terms of engagement with the United States. Talking to reporters after the PCNS meeting, Rabbani said the committee was undertaking a very complicated and time-consuming job, and it was working independently in accordance with national priorities. He said the parliament might further amend the PCNS’ recommendations. He said the government was competent to extend the ongoing joint session of the parliament to allow more time to the PCNS to complete its recommendations. He added that the PML-N member was briefed on what the committee had discussed in the last three days, and hoped that the recommendations would be finalised in the next couple of days.