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GDA to discuss CTBT on 18th

JALIL HASAN AKHTAR

LAHORE: The Grand Democratic Alliance's (GDA) committee for Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) headed by Major Aftab Lodhi (Retd) is likely to meet here on February 18.

The seven member committee, which was established in a recent meeting of GDA in Karachi, is likely to consider component parties point of view on the signing of CTBT.

The majority of opposition parties' leaders including Professor Tahir-ul-Qadri (PAT) and Qazi Hussain Ahmad(JI) have already shown their reservations and party point of view prior to forming of the committee on CTBT.

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, head of Pakistan Awami Ittehad (PAI) - a 15-party alliance, has also shown its dissent on signing the CTBT on numerous occasions.

However, despite a severe resistance to signing of treaty particularly by religious political parties a soft corner for signing the treaty has been observed in political groups which are considered to be ensuing liberal frame of thinking. Foremost amongst this school of thought is Benazir Bhutto Co-chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The most interesting thing noticeable from the PPP's angle is that despite Benazir's recent statements favouring signing of CTBT, leaders and particularly her party's stance during former prime minister Nawaz Sharif tenure has been deviant from what they have been asserting at present.

PPP (shaheed Bhutto) group has openly favoured signing of CTBT. Ghinwa Bhutto head of the party in her statements to the press in the recent past has shown her party's affirmness in signing the treaty.