Gilani sets up 5-member committee

ISLAMABAD - In a bid to make it more tangible that the Government has been responding to opposition party PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharifs proposals called 45-day agenda, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday constituted a five-member committee. According to an official handout, The Prime Minister has constituted a five-member committee to establish contact with the leadership of all the political parties in the Parliament to obtain proposals for the resolving national issues raised on the floor of both houses of the Parliament. Although the statement underlined the purpose of the committee as to establish contact with the political leadership for proposals to resolve national issues raised in the Parliament, insiders believe that the committee was chiefly to suffice the PML-Ns call of ten-point agenda. Terming the constitution of the Committee as an internal mechanism of the Government, official spokesman and Information Secretary of the PML-N Ahsan Iqbal said, We want to see real progress on the ten points in 45 days. Two days have already passed, he said in tone of reminder of 45-day timeframe for implementation of the ten points his party leader had given as an interim agenda for the dwindling Government of PPP-led coalition. The crises are getting worst. The Government needs to show sense of urgency for implementation and action, he added. Asked what would happen after 45 days, he said, Well evaluate the Governments performance and seriousness towards the implementation of the ten-point agenda. On January 4 PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had given this ten-point agenda for implementation in 45 days otherwise he talked about fresh mandate to replace the Government that, according to him, had gone alarmingly week. The members of the committee include Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Finance, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Minister for Water and Power, Dr Zaheeruddin Babar Awan, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Mian Raza Rabbani, Advisor to the Prime Minister. According to the handout, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Senator of PML-N, contacted the Prime Minister Thursday afternoon and apprised him of the formation of a similar committee by his party leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for dialogue on the national issues. The Prime Minister assured him that both the committees would meet soon to open up dialogue on the national issues including the economic challenges. Ishaq Dar, the leader of the PML-Ns committee, conveyed the desire to meet the representatives of the Government soon to initiate the discussions.