ISLAMABAD: Senate on Friday approved a 22-point policy guidelines prepared by a 13-member committee of the Upper House of the Parliament regarding Pakistan policy on Kashmir issue and India in the wake of the prevailing situation arising out Pak-India tension.
Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafar-ul-Haq on Friday presented the 22-point policy guidelines prepared by a 13-member committee regarding Pakistan’s Kashmir and India policy, which were approved by the house.
The guidelines recommend appointment of a full-fledged foreign minister. It further proposed constitution of a task force for preparing the country’s Kashmir policy. The report has urged the government to take the held India RAW officer Kulbhushan Yadav at international level and re-establish the public diplomacy office at Foreign Office.
The government has been asked to take measures to thawrt India’s bid to isolate Pakistan at diplomatic level including enhancing contacts with SAARC countries. The guidelines further proposed the government to made it crystal clear before the international community that there is no room for non-state actors in a country which is fighting a war against terrorism.
Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani expressed his anger over government’s move to present some bill in joint session of the Parliament instead of presenting these in Senate. He said that the government by neglecting Senate was introducing a dangerous precedent and demonstrating undemocratic behavior.
Rabbani pointed out that the PMDC was passed from joint session of the parliament instead of presenting it in the Senate.
He vowed that they would not allow anyone to usurp Senate’s right to legislation. Upon this, Law Minister Zahid Hamid replied that the government move was not meant to belittle Senate rather it was under compulsion, as some Bill were about to lapse and it was necessary to get them passed at the earliest.
Later the house was prorogued.
