PPP wants joint Parliament session on Afghan situation

MULTAN: Former prime minister and leader of the opposition in Senate, Yusuf Raza Gilani, has said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is the first party which convened a meeting its central executive committee to discuss situation in neighbouring country Afghanistan.

Talking to the media in a procession on Ashura Day, he said a joint session of the parliament should be held on Afghanistan. He said that as a nation, we would have to decide on the situation in Kabul as Pakistan would be affected the most if a civil war broke out there. “We have neighbourly, religious, political, cultural and geographical ties with Afghanistan,” he added.

The PPP leader said Afghanistan should have a pluralistic government so that representatives of all segments of society could come to power. He said the PPP also discussed human rights, minorities and women's rights in its CEC meeting. The Taliban had shown a better attitude and would have to do the same in future, he added. Gilani said Afghanistan was a twin brother for Pakistan.

He said the government should abide by the decisions of the world leadership on Afghanistan. Whatever the government wanted to decide was limited and long lasting. He said the government should first safeguard its interests while implementing its National Action Plan.