Joint session on US engagement on 17th March: Khurshid Shah

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah on Wednesday said that the joint session of Parliament would be convened on March 17 to discuss new terms of engagement with the U.S. and NATO in the light of recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS).

The minster while speaking in the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs observed, “Joint sitting of both houses of Parliament will deliberate on future working relationship with the US, NATO and ISAF”.

Shah said the government would also bring pending legislation in the joint session, adding that National Assembly’s session would be held on March 9.

The media reports claimed that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani would table the recommendation of PCNS before the parliamentarians regarding the country’s foreign, defence and security policy.

Prime Minister Gilani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar will brief the public representative about current state of affairs with the U.S. and NATO, reports added.

The government is likely to announce the resumption of NATO supply on PCNS recommendations, but with strings attached.

The premier has already said that government would honour the recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security while Foreign Minister Khar also hinted at reopening of the NATO supply line.

Nine senators, who are the member of PCNS, would be retire on March 11 and will miss the debate in the Parliament about the recommendations, which they drafted. Law and order situation in Balochistan and fresh moves of US congress about the province are likely to be discussed in the Parliament.

The officials in the National Assembly’s Secretariat and Senate Secretariat informed that 13 bills of legislation are pending in one or the other house of parliament that would be laid in joint sitting.

Usually the Joint parliamentary sittings are convened to discuss the most crucial issues and challenges confronted by the country. Four joint sitting of the both houses of the Parliament have been held during the incumbent’s regime.

Both the Houses of Parliament jointly met in-camera thrice on October 21-22, 2008, March 22, 2011, and May 13-14, 2011 to take up burning challenges confronted by the country.

The sessions were held at the time of challenges of militancy and extremism in Swat and unilateral U.S. forces action in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.

Joint sitting were also held twice for the address of visiting Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan on October 26, 2009, Wen Jiabao Chinese Prime Minister on December 19, 2010 and as well as for four times for the address of President Asif Ali Zardari.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Mar 1 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.