Parliamentary panel includes India-Pakistan ties as subject for examination

NEW DELHI: As India weighs its options to deal with Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri attack, a Parliamentary panel has included 'Indo-Pak relations' as one of its subjects for examination.

The subject was selected by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs at a time when there are renewed tensions between the two countries following the terror attack on an army base in Uri on September 18, which resulted in the death of 18 soldiers.

The attackers were believed to be backed by Pakistan and it was one of the deadliest strikes on army in the recent past.

Besides this, the panel will also discuss One-Belt One-Road ( OBOR) initiative of China and its strategic and economic ramifications for India.

The panel headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has decided to deliberate upon a host of issues such as India's Soft Power Diplomacy including role of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Indian diaspora, performance of passport issuance system including issuance of e-passports.

China is eyeing connectivity and economic cooperation between it and the rest of Eurasia through this strategic initiative.

Other China-related issues which will be taken up for discussion by the panel are South China Sea dispute and United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The remaining issues selected by the panel are voting rights to NRIs, crisis in European Union in the wake of Brexit and its implications for India, India and international security regime: claim for candidature, negotiating strategies and challenges ahead and India and the new US Administration.