Key opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), however, boycotted the meeting in protest against the recent increase in petroleum products' prices. However, sources said the committee discussed in detail the controversial clauses of its 16-point recommendations presented to the parliament and agreed to link resumption of Nato supply route with an end to drone strikes.
PML-N began boycott from Monday session and its two members in the committee - namely Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan and Ishaq Dar - did not attend the meeting. They had earlier floated the idea of linking Nato supply route conditional with cessation of drone strikes.
A source in the PML-N told Business Recorder that the party had also sought assurances in relation to an end to US drone campaign inside the country's territorial borders on a permanent basis. The nature and kind of assurances could not be known. It is not known who will hold out any assurance that there would be no drone strike when the supply route to US-led Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan is restored, a senior PML-N leader said adding that similar concerns had also been conveyed to US Ambassador Cameron Munter during his meeting with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif last week.
Moreover, sources said, another party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), adopted a stance that resumption of the Nato supply route was an administrative matter and did not need the parliamentary orders as the government had in fact stopped the supply lines in light of a decision of the defence committee of the cabinet. They said the JUI-F told the committee that the government did not seek parliamentary approval to permanently block the Nato supplies.
Later briefing reporters, Raza Rabbani urged PML-N to end its boycott and attend the today (Tuesday) session in the larger national interest. He said the PML-N's anger pertaining to increase in POL prices related to the government and the panel did not have anything with the government and that it was a part of the parliament.
"The committee think that it is not the proper forum to register the protest," he maintained. He further that the committee was deliberating the clauses, described by PML-N and other opposition parties as controversial. Rabbani said that no date can be given as final deadline for the draft resolution. The committee will meet again today (Tuesday).