Pak sets up new Parliamentary Committee on Terror

Islamabad, Nov 8 (ANI): A new Parliamentary Committee on Terror has been constituted in Pakistan to monitor implementation of the resolution passed by the parliament during the in-camera joint session on security issues last month.

National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza constituted the committee. An announcement regarding this is expected to be made today, the Dawn quoted official sources as saying.

Leader of the House in Senate and senior PPP leader Raza Rabbani is likely to be appointed as the chairman of the committee.

According to the sources, it had been decided in marathon meetings of representatives of political parties with the Speaker that the head of the committee should be from the PPP as a majority of the legislators were of the view that it would be easy for the committee to get its decision implemented if the chairman would be from the ruling party.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi are likely to be included in the committee as its ex-officio members and to keep the committee members informed about working of their ministries in the present circumstances.

The members of the committee are: Raza Rabbani and Syed Khursheed Shah (PPP); Sardar Mehtab Abbassi and Ishaq Dar (Pakistan Muslim League-N); Wasim Sajjad (Pakistan Muslim League-Q); Ghulam Ahmed Bilour (Awami National Party); Haider Abbas Rizvi (Mutahidda Qaumi Movement); Prof Khurshid (Jamaat-i-Islami) and Aftab Sherpao (PPP-S).

The government has also been suggested to enhance the scope of under formation parliamentary committee on terrorism by taking tribal leaders of FATA and Afghan parliament on board. (ANI)