PCNS fails to finalise draft of recommendations: JUI-F decides to continue boycott

Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) once again failed to come up with a consensus draft of the new terms of engagement with the US, as JUI-F continued boycott of the committee while PML-N and PML-Q members remained absent from the meeting.
The committee, which met here on Monday with Mian Raza Rabbani in the chair at parliament house sans the representatives of PML-N, PML-Q and JUI-F, could not make any breakthrough regarding the clauses objected over by the main opposition parties. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Rabbani said that representatives of PML-N and PML-Q could not attend the meeting due to energy conference called by Prime Minister Gilani in Lahore.
About the boycott of the JUI-F, the PCNS chairman said that the JUI-F boycott was unfortunate and urged Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman to rejoin the proceedings of the panel. "He should move a dissenting note if he has any objection over any of the recommendations," he added.
He maintained that that he had also talked to JUI-F chief on telephone, urging him to call off his boycott but he refused. To a question, Rabbani said that no time frame could be given for the finalisation of the draft recommendations, adding that it was parliamentary process and input of every political party was being duly considered.
He was optimistic for positive development when the committee would meet again on Tuesday. The committee, which is reviewing some of the clauses of its report presented before the joint sitting of the parliament, was scheduled to finalise draft of the recommendations by April 05. But it could not come up with the final draft despite the passage of almost five days due to one or other reasons mainly because of the boycott of the two opposition parties-first by PML-N and then JUI-F.
PML-N, however, ended its boycott of the committee, but sources said that it was yet to apprise the panel its stance over the decisions that were taken in the absence of Isaq Dar and Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Abbasi, the party's representatives in the panel. Whereas, the JUI-F continued to upset proceedings of the committee, as its parliamentary party on Monday came up with a decision to continue boycott of the committee, saying that the government had already taken a decision to reopen the Nato supply route.
The JUI-F parliamentary committee endorsed the boycott of Maulana from the parliamentary panels including the PCNS and announced to continue it. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Fazal warned that his party would also resist 'conditional' resumption of Nato supply.
Justifying his boycott, the JUI-F Chief said that there was no reason to attend the committee meeting as the government has already decided to reopen the Nato supply route. Fazal said he also turned down Rabbani's request for supporting the government over the supply line reopening. According to sources, earlier addressing his party's parliamentarians he warned that JUI-F would resist any move to pass the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, which, he said, was meant to promote westernization in Pakistan.
"The JUI-F will hold countrywide protest along with other religious parties if the government went on to get approved the bill due to its majority in the parliament," he warned. Meanwhile, Afrasiab Khattak of Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday underscored the need for shunning the concept of a national security state to move towards a national welfare state.
He also stressed the need for a policy reset in relation to Afghanistan. Nadeem Afzal Chan of PPP lashed out at PML-N and JUI-F for not taking part in discussion over the new rules of engagements with the US. "They [PML-N, JUI-F] should openly accept that they are not capable enough to formulate the foreign policy of the country," he added. He lauded his party's coalition partners - ANP and MQM - for maintaining a clear stance on the issue of Nato supplies. PML-N Senator M Hamza demanded that all Pakistan-US agreements should be presented in the parliament.