Daily Times : Treasury, Opp for foreign policy review.

Treasury, Opp for foreign policy review.

Staff Report | August 8, 2007

ISLAMABAD: The government’s foreign policy came under fire in the National Assembly on Wednesday when treasury members joined opposition members, except of the Pakistan People’s Party, to urge the government to review its policy towards the United States.

The opposition members said that Pakistan was facing pressure only because an individual was framing the country’s foreign policy under US and western influence. Several government members including State Minister for Environment Malik Amin Aslam and Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Maj (r) Tanvir Hussain also criticised the government’s foreign policy. And even those who defended the policy also favoured its review after a debate in parliament.

The debate on foreign policy will continue today (Wednesday) and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri will wind it up with his speech. When the NA resumed debate on Tuesday almost all 12 members who participated criticised the US for its discriminatory policies towards Pakistan despite the country being a frontline ally in the war against terrorism and suffering more losses in terms of life and property than any other country.

The treasury and opposition members urged the government to reject the Pakistan-specific US bill linking aid with its performance in the anti-terror war. The PML’s MP Bhandara said the US would not succeed in Afghanistan until it brought the Taliban, especially their leader Mulla Omar, to the negotiating table for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. State Minister for Environment Amin Aslam said, “Pakistan has done more than any other state in the war on terrorism but is still being asked to do more. The government must reject the US aid as an insult to the blood of thousands of its troops martyred in the war.”

Liaquat Baloch, parliamentary leader of the MMA, said that the US was pressing Pakistan because it knew that its government and its polices did not enjoy public support. He suggested that the government change its foreign policy. “There should be an in-camera sitting of parliament to devise the foreign policy after thorough discussion. The prime minister and the foreign minister should be present in the session,” he said. The PML’s Farooq Amjad Mir said that Pakistan should avoid direct confrontation with the US until its interests were targeted. “But at the same time we cannot leave it to a few individuals to form the country’s policies,” he said.

On the recent statements of US presidential hopefuls against Pakistan, Mir said the remarks were aimed at winning voters’ support in the elections just as Pakistani MNAs woo their constituents. “As for foreign pressure on Pakistan, it will remain there until we do not disassociate ourselves from terrorism. The government has to make compromises because of terrorism’s links in Pakistan. The future governments will also face this problem,” he said.

The PPPP’s Manzoor Wasan said the government should invite exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to face the challenges confronting the nation. Farhana Khalid Banori, Dr Azra Fazl Puchehu, Farzeen Sarfraz, Maulana Abdul Malik, Ali Akbar Wains and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidery also spoke on the occasion.