ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Defence will meet on Thursday (Dec 8) for a briefing from military officials on the ongoing “Indian aggression along the Line of Control (LoC)”.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhamamd Asif already made policy statements on the floors of the National Assembly and the Senate after debates in the two houses of parliament last month.
Both the cabinet members had reiterated that Pakistan would not respond in kind to Indian aggression but vowed to defend its borders, waters and space against any attacks by the neighbouring country.
When contacted, chairman of the Senate’s defence committee Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) defended the committee’s decision to call the meeting after the debates in parliament, saying that they had asked the military leadership to update the members on the latest situation along the LoC and provide details of the losses which Pakistan had suffered due to Indian aggression.
Mr Hussain said that they had heard the government’s point of view in parliament, but they wanted to know from the military high command as to what was their assessment of the whole situation, “We would like to know the military’s perspective and would ask them to brief the members as to what could be the motive, in their opinion, behind India’s act of escalating tension along the LoC,” he said,
Moreover, he said, the committee was also waiting for a change of command in the military leadership.
“All is not well,” he said when asked that didn’t he believe that the LoC situation had improved after the taking over of the command by new Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Responding to another question, Mr Hussain said that he personally believed that the meeting of the defence committee should be open for the media as it involved a public issue.
“However, if the defence officials requested for an in-camera meeting because of some classified information, then the request for an in-camera meeting can be considered,” he added.
Prominent members of the Senate’s committee are: Farhatullah Babar and Farooq Naek of the Pakistan People’s Party, Ilyas Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party, retired Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, retired Brig John Kenneth Williams of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and retired Lt-Gen Salahuddin Tirmizi and retired Lt-Gen Abdul Qayyum of the PML-N.
Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2016
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