PM Nawaz Sharif chairs meeting of parliamentary party leaders on Kashmir issue

Lahore : Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday chaired the meeting of parliamentary party leaders to evolve a joint response on Kashmir issue and the situation on Line of Control (LoC).

Those who attended the meeting included Syed Khursheed Shah, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Aitzaz Ahsan Sherry Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Hina Rabbani Khar and Farhatullah Babar (Pakistan People’s Party); Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Dr Shireen Mazari (Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf), Siraj ul Haq and Sahibzada Tariqullah (Jamat-e-Islami), Maulana Fazlur Rehman (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam), Dr Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi (Mutahida Qaumi Movement), Mehmood Achakzai (Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party), Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi (National Peoples Party), Kamil Ali Agha (Pakistan Muslim League-Q), Ghous Bux Mehr (Muslim League Functional), Ghulam Ahmed Bilour (Awami National Party), Mir Hasil Bazinjo (National Party), Engineer Usman Tarkai, Ghazi Gulab Jamal and Professor Sajid Mir.

Earlier, the Prime Minister received the party leaders on their arrival at the PM’s Office.

Members of the federal cabinet also joined the meeting.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry briefed the participants of the meeting on the situation of human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

The government on Saturday had sent invitations to leaders of different parliamentary parties to attend the meeting.

Senator Aitzaz Ahsan of PPP congratulated the Prime Minister on this meeting saying the policies decided and formulated after consultation were always strong and solid.

“Our stance is very clear that Kashmir issue must be resolved as per aspirations of the Kashmiri people. We stand with the government that Indus water treaty cannot be revoked unilaterally by one country.”

He also extended support to the government for a befitting response if India tries to revoke the treaty.

Ch Aitzaz said joint resolutions were good and positive step but there was a need to focus on implementation of its content and it should not merely be a routine one-day exercise.

Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q said there was no compromise on Pakistan defence. “We are one nation and one voice on this issue,” he said and added “your speech highlighted Kashmiris struggle on international forums.” He said not only the meeting should condemn state terrorism of India, but it should also expose Indian propaganda on Balochistan and Gilgit. “We should work hard to forge new alliances at international forums,” Kamil Ali Agha said.