Rabbani seeks Parliament’s joint session on Afghan situation

ISLAMABAD: Former chairman Senate Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, while demanding the convening of the joint session of the both the houses of the Parliament to take the nation into confidence on situation in Afghanistan, said that situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate day by day, the international community is making Pakistan an escape goat for the Afghan fiasco, yet the government has failed to take Parliament into confidence.

“It is now demanded that a joint session of the Parliament be convened immediately so that the nation can be taken into confidence,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. Rabbani said a joint sitting of Parliament should be summoned immediately to formulate policy and terms of engagement with Afghanistan, US, other countries and internal security.

He proposed seven point agenda that needs to be discussed in the joint session of the Parliament. He suggested that the joint session of the both the houses of the Parliament should discuss the Afghan situation and its regional consequences.

Second, the Parliament should discuss the escalation of the intra-Afghan conflict into a civil war, its impact on Pakistan’s internal security. Third, the policy Pakistan needs to adopt in order to contain religious extremism and terrorism within.

Fourth, Pakistan’s policy with reference to internally displaced persons in the eventuality of a civil war in Afghanistan. Fifth, the joint session of the Parliament to discuss the diplomatic initiatives required to stop the world from pointing a finger at Pakistan. “If this trend is not countered immediately, it can have short and long term repercussions on Pakistan’s economic ties with the world,” he suggested.

Sixth, the reasons why Pakistan was not invited to the UN Security Council meeting. Seventh, the Parliament should also discuss the statement of the Minister for Interior that Israeli, Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies are responsible for the increase in incidents of internal terrorism.

Rabbani said it was agreed in the last extended meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security that another such meeting shall be held before Eid, such a meeting has till date not taken place.