September 28, 2008	Sunday	Ramazan 27, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 27: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q has expressed concern over the volatile situation in tribal areas and called for convening a joint sitting of both houses parliament and an all parties’ conference to chalk out a national plan to meet external and internal threats.

Presiding over a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee on Saturday, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain expressed dismay over what he called missing of the Kashmir issue from President Asif Ali Zardari’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

Later speaking at a news conference, he urged the president to evolve a national consensus on the issue of war against terror.PML-Q provincial president Amir Muqam accused the ANP-led NWFP government of mishandling the situation in Swat which was brought under control by the previous government by holding talks with the local Taliban.

The participants of the meeting welcomed the move to rename the NWFP, but stressed the need for evolving a consensus on the new name because many political forces in the province were opposed to ‘Pakhtunkhwa’.

The meeting decided to set up a relief fund for victims of the Fata operation with an initial contribution of Rs1 million by Chaudhry Shujaat and former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri. All party lawmakers have been asked to contribute their one month salary to the fund.

The meeting called for restoration of water, electricity and gas supplies to Swat.

Mr Kasuri denied an official claim that there was an external hand in the Swat unrest and said Pakistan’s solidarity was in great danger. He stressed the need for evolving a consensus strategy to deal with the situation.

Admitting that there was a feeling of hatred towards the US among the general public, he said that new targets should be fixed through talks among all players in the war on terror.

PML-Q secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed and secretary information Senator Tariq Azeem did not attend the meeting because of what party sources said their other ‘pressing’ engagements.