FOREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that a po
litical committee is being constituted to formulate a joint way forward on critical issues of national interests including the outstanding Kashmir dispute. Responding to the points of PML-N leader Khawaja Asif in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the Minister said the PML-N, PPP, JUI (F) and Awami National Party are invited to become part of this process.
It is a landmark initiative with potential to crystallize and strengthen national response to issues confronting the country in the fast changing regional and global environment. Though it is not yet clear as to what exactly would be the composition of the political committee and whether it would only include parties inside Parliament or others would also be made part of it. Similarly, its mandate and powers also need to be crystal clear so that consensus once emerged in the committee is given practical shape by the government. The move is important and significant as the opposition parties have been complaining that they are not taken into the loop as far as formulation of policies to handle national issues especially Kashmir, relations with India, Afghanistan issue and ties with the United States are concerned. There is also an unfortunate impression in the opposition ranks of some subtle change in policy towards Kashmir and Palestine and that is why the Foreign Minister made it clear that there was absolutely no change in these policies. Input from opposition parties would help forge national consensus and the government would be able to present the country’s viewpoint on those issues in a forceful manner.
