Press releases / notices:

PRESS RELEASE

Islamabad, May 7, 2004: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee met today at the Foreign Office under its Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed. Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri gave a comprehensive briefing on various aspects of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The briefing was attended by Senator Tariq Azeem Khan, Senator Nisar A. Memon, Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani and Senator Gulshan Saeed. The Foreign Minister was assisted by his team of Additional Secretaries and Directors General.

The members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee thanked the Foreign Minister for giving them a candid and informative insight into various dimensions of Pakistan’s foreign policy, including Pakistan’s role in the United Nations, Pakistan’s initiatives at various regional fora, Pakistan’s proactive role vis-à-vis OIC and Pakistan’s policy regarding Iraq, India and Kashmir.

The Foreign Minister expressed the hope that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would act as a bridge between the Foreign Office and the people since all members are public representatives.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, underlined that Pakistan’s foreign policy should continue to promote the national interest and reflect the aspirations of the people in a changing global and regional scenario. He also urged the need for Pakistan’s foreign policy to incorporate the element of “soft power” which can be an effective instrument in using input from areas like arts and culture, media and academia, sports and overseas Pakistanis.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee informed the Foreign Minister that it intends to hold hearings on Pakistan’s foreign policy where it would discuss ways and means to institutionally strengthen the Foreign Office and the Foreign Service, have input from different foreign policy experts and also hold consultations on foreign policy in all the provincial capitals of the country.