National Assembly Security Committee rejects India's baseless allegations

Islamabad: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Security has expressed deep sorrow and regret over the loss of human lives in Pahalgam and strongly condemned the incident.

The meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense was held at the Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Chairman Fatehullah Khan. At the beginning of the meeting, Fateha and prayers were offered on the death of the mother and sister-in-law of the Chief of Army Staff, General Syed Asim Munir.

The committee categorically rejected the allegations leveled against Pakistan by India, calling them baseless and provocative.

The committee emphasized in its statement that Pakistan, as a responsible state, has always made serious efforts to establish peace in the region and has itself been a victim of terrorism. However, if any unjustified action is taken by India, Pakistan is fully capable of giving a befitting and effective response.

In the meeting, the committee expressed concern over India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the Attari border, and withdrawal of ambassadors, saying that such measures could lead to increased tension between the two nuclear-armed states in the region.

During the meeting, the “Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2024” was reviewed in detail. The Ministry of Defense briefed the committee on the important provisions of the bill, which include welfare activities, electronic crimes, and procedural reforms.

The ministry said that these amendments are being made to align with the recent amendment acts of the Pakistan Army and Air Force so that the laws of the three-armed forces can be harmonized. The committee unanimously recommended that the bill be approved by the National Assembly.

Furthermore, in the meeting, the Surveyor General of Pakistan and the Secretaries of the Minerals Department of all four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan gave a briefing regarding the involvement of the private sector in the survey and mapping of mineral resources.

The committee stressed that the services of the Surveyor General’s Department should be preferred over private institutions to ensure the protection of sensitive information.

The difference in the distribution of funds between the FGEI educational institutions under the Federal Ministry of Defense and the FDE institutions under the Ministry of Education was also discussed. The committee decided to summon the secretaries of the Ministry of Finance and Planning to the next meeting to seek clarification on the unequal distribution of funds.

The meeting was attended by Members of the National Assembly Aqeel Malik, Abrar Ahmed, Saba Sadiq, Spandiyar Bandara, Salahuddin Junejo, Sanjay Parwani, Gul Asghar Khan, Plain Baloch, Muhammad Aslam Ghuman, Ghulam Muhammad, and Ms Zeb Jaffer (Parliamentary Secretary for Defense).

In addition, the meeting was also attended by Secretary Defense Lt. Gen. (retd) Muhammad Ali HI(M), Additional Secretary (Army) Maj. Gen. Aamir Ashfaq Kayani, other senior officers of the Ministry of Law and Justice, Defense, and provincial governments.