The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee under the chairmanship of SenatorMushahid Hussain Sayed, with all the members in attendance, unanimously passed a resolutionrejecting the US statement on CPEC as "unacceptable interference in Pakistan's sovereign rightto exercise policy choices that best protect and promote its national interests"
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 26th November, 2019) The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, with all the members in attendance, unanimously passed a resolutionrejecting the US statement on CPEC as "unacceptable interference in Pakistan's sovereign rightto exercise policy choices that best protect and promote its national interests".The Committeereceived an hour long Islamabad (Pakistan Point news / Online - 26th November, 2019) n-Camera briefing by the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshiregarding the situation inside Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 26th November, 2019) ndian Occupied Kashmir, the Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan's rolein mediation between Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 26th November, 2019) ran and Saudi Arabia, as well as formulation of a comprehensive and longterm Kashmir strategy.
The resolution on CPEC termed the statement of Alice Wells as "uncalled for, unwarranted andunprecedented" and termed the US statement as "promoting fiction and presenting a biasedperspective on CPEC". The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee strongly urged the Governmentof Pakistan to make it clear in "unequivocal terms that Pakistan will not tolerate any dictationfrom any country that seeks to undermine the time-tested Pakistan-China relations.
"During the briefing, the Foreign Minister made it clear that he would soon convene a meeting ofApex Kashmir Committee so that a comprehensive and sustainable Kashmir strategy can beformulated, in consultation with Parliament as well as the opposition.Senator Mushahid Hussain made it clear that on the issue of Kashmir, the whole nation speakswith one voice and it was at the initiative of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee last year thatan international Kashmir conference was convened in the British Parliament in February 2019where the Foreign Minister as well as the entire parliamentary committee including theparticipated and spoke with one voice and on one platform on Kashmir.
TheForeign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the Government is planning to senddelegation abroad which will include representatives of the parliamentary opposition and ForeignOffice is also planning to hold an international conference on Kashmir at various locations withinPakistan and abroad. Both these initiatives were welcomed by the Senate Foreign AffairsCommittee.Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 26th November, 2019) n other business, the Senate Committee also took note on the public petition complaining againstPakistan's Consul General, Barcelona, Spain and it took strong exception to the contents andlanguage used by the Pakistani Consul General based in Barcelona terming it an unacceptable"Character assassination" and language not befitting a diplomat of Pakistan against fellowPakistanis.
The Committee ordered an immediate Foreign Office to make inquiry into the matterand asked the Foreign Office to present a compliance report by December 15, 2019.The Committee also took note of other matters particularly the issues of Pakistani prisoners inforeign countries and instructed the Foreign Office to provide early redressal to the grievances ofthese Pakistani prisoners languishing in jails abroad.The meeting was attended by Senators Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Dr. Asif Kirmani, NuzhatSadiq, Seemee Ezdi, Atta ur Rehman, Abdul Rehman Malik, Sherry Rehman, Anwaar ul HaqKakar, Mian Muhammad Atteq Shaikh, Siraj ul Haq, Sitara Ayaz, Dr. Shahzad Waseem, Ministerfor Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Special Secretary Moazam Ali Khan alongwithsenior officers from Foreign Office, Hafeezullah Sheikh, Additional Secretary, Senate andothers.
