NEW DELHI: The newly-reconstituted Parliamentary Panel on External Affairs, chaired by Shashi Tharoor, will hold wide discussions on Indo-Bangladesh relations, and also discuss the current situation in West Asia and the ongoing conflict in Israel, Lebanon and Palestine, sources said.
The first meeting of the Parliamentary Panel held on Monday is likely to seek a briefing from the ministry on the ongoing war in West Asia, sources said.
Regarding the Indo-Bangladesh relations, the panel may come out with a report on this. This assumes significance as former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been staying in India after leaving her home country.
When contacted, committee chairperson Tharoor said the panel had a very “cordial and constructive” first meeting to adopt the agenda of work for the year ahead.
“Many members made suggestions and we reached agreement on a range of important issues that the committee would like to consider. In addition to the topics selected for discussion and formal reporting to the Parliament, we will also seek briefings from the MEA on burning issues of current topical interest, such as the ongoing war in Israel/Palestine/Lebanon,” Tharoor said.
He said “there was an excellent turnout and members evinced keen interest and enthusiasm, which augurs well for the working of this committee”.
Members from across party lines suggested various topics which need to be taken up by the committee in the coming days, including the issue of travel agents luring youngsters to take them abroad through illegal ways, sources said.
Top officials of the External Affairs Ministry, including the Foreign Secretary, usually appear before the panel and brief MPs about the topics selected.
