Kaira said that the Defence Secretary informed the Cabinet that all stakeholders had been consulted for MoU's finalisation in the light of recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee. Kaira termed the MoU first step towards transparency, saying that there would be no secret agreement with the US in future. Kaira said that a story appearing in a British tabloid, The Sun, had nothing to do with reality. The Minister said that the newspaper had unleashed a vicious propaganda against Pakistan and the Cabinet directed Nadra to immediately file a libel suit against the newspaper.
The Minister said that top Nadra officials gave a detailed briefing to the Cabinet on the passport issue and termed the story totally "incorrect, false and malicious". "The story seems to have been crafted to defame Pakistan," he said. Speaking at a press conference, Chairman of Nadra Tariq Malik said that Muhammad Ali Asad, commissioned by 'Sun' to work as an 'undercover reporter', visited Pakistan in July this year and stayed at Avari Hotel. He said: "Asad is a dual national and also holds a British passport." The Chairman Nadra said that this person as well as his mother were registered with Nadra and had been issued cards.
Meanwhile, the Federal cabinet allowed the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to start negotiation with India for import of Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) and petroleum products to overcome energy deficit. Kaira said that the Cabinet considered two proposal submitted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources with respect to import of RLNG and for trade in petroleum products. The Cabinet allowed Ministry of Petroleum to go ahead on both proposals and negotiate with India on both projects and submit a detailed report to the cabinet.
The Minister said the Prime Minister briefed the Cabinet about his recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, adding that he also gave a briefing on his Balochistan tour. Kaira quoted the Prime Minister as saying that during his meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the two sides discussed issues relating to peace in the region and improvement of relations between the two countries. The Minister said it was virtually a trilateral summit in Kabul with the participation of British Prime Minister David Cameron who, he maintained.
The Prime Minister informed the cabinet that a long standing demand of Pakistan business community regarding issuance of multiple visas had been accepted by the Afghan government. The Prime Minister also constituted a committee on Balochistan issue headed by the Minister for Defence which would hold meetings with all stakeholders and submit its recommendations to the Cabinet within a week. The committee included Ministers for Law and Justice, Information & Broadcasting, Postal Services, Science & Technology and the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior.
The Cabinet approved the signing of Agreement between the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan and Ministry of Defence of Pakistan on Training Kazakhstan's Military Personnel at Training Institutions in Pakistan. The Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Production (Pakistan) and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russian Federation for expanding Pakistan Steel Mills' annual production capacity to three million tons. The Cabinet accorded its approval, in principle, to start negotiations with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (P1K), Germany.