Pakistan opposition assails appointment of Kashmir envoys

ISLAMABAD: The 22 Pakistani lawmakers nominated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to highlight Kashmir issue have no credentials as most of them have poor attendance in parliament, the opposition parties said today.

On Saturday, Sharif had appointed 22 lawmakers as envoys, most of them from the treasury benches, who would visit key world capitals to highlight alleged Indian atrocities in Kashmir.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar and Senator Taj Haider of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) said the government should have included members of opposition parties.

They said the Kashmir issue can be raised globally in a befitting manner only if the government works along with the opposition parties.

Asad said most of the nominated MPs did not even attend parliamentary debates and questioned how they could highlight the Kashmir cause.

"Premier Nawaz is not ready to discuss Kashmir issue before his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi," said Umar, adding that the government had nominated 22 MPs as special envoys just to strengthen the ruling PML-N.

Senator Taj Haider said majority of parliamentarians nominated as special envoys belonged to treasury benches and expressed apprehension that these designated MPs would not be able to highlight Kashmir issue effectively.

He said the government should have included opposition leaders of both houses of the parliament in the group of envoys.

The move by Sharif came against the backdrop of escalating war of words between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the continuing unrest in the Kashmir Valley that broke out on July 8 after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed by Indian security forces.