Senate opposition walks out over ‘unimpressive’ briefing by Sartaj

Saudi-Iran conflict

ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition Wednesday stormed out of the Senate, terming the briefing on Saudi-Iran conflict by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz ‘unsatisfactory’.

This ‘unsatisfactory briefing’ by Aziz prompted Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani to remark, “If you [Aziz] had nothing new to say except what we’ve heard in the press, what was the need of giving an in-camera briefing”. It was learnt.

Immediately after the briefing, Leader of Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan took the floor and said: “I just want to ask what was new in the briefing given by the adviser to prime minister on foreign affairs. It was unsatisfactory and in protest we walk out”.

Sources privy to the briefing told The News that some 28 members belonging to opposition put a volley of tough questions to Aziz, but he had nothing satisfactory except repeating the same, which was reflected in the media a day ago following the National Assembly standing committee’s in-camera briefing on the issue.

Aziz told the legislators that Pakistan had a neutral policy towards both Saudi Arabia and Iran, but at the same time hinted that in case of any territorial threat to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan would give a befitting response.

The retaliation from Pakistan’s side to stand by Saudi Arabia, according to some lawmakers, who wished not to be named, is isolating Iran, which is also a brotherly Muslim country.

“How can we issue such a statement given our long-standing brotherly relations with Iran and without having interacted with their leadership,” one senator from the opposition benches was reported to have said so.

However, to a question, the adviser made it clear that the government was making all-out efforts for finding a peaceful solution to the crisis adding that Pakistan’s policy was neutral as it wanted an amicable solution to the crisis.

Not impressed by the in-camera briefing, the opposition said it was nothing but ‘wastage of time’, adding that the intention of the government was quite clear — it was not ready to take the House as well as the nation onboard on the issue.

Aziz was quoted as saying that as a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan would continue to play its positive role on the issue, adding that it would play the role of a bridge to improve relations between the two countries.

The sources also quoted Aitzaz Ahsan as making objection during the briefing that there was nothing new and the media should be allowed, but it was the Senate chairman who interrupted that since the adviser had agreed for an in-camera briefing the press could not be allowed.

However, he told the adviser that he could share the details of briefing with the media as there was nothing substantial in the in-camera briefing. But the adviser stuck to his guns and left without interacting with the media after the briefing.

As agreed, a joint statement by the opposition and treasury members was supposed to be issued after the briefing but it could not be released as the opposition members declared the briefing just a ‘rhetoric and unsatisfactory’. It was not immediately clear whether or how would the opposition agitate on this matter afterwards.