News
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Senate for reviewing Pak role in war on terror* Upper House passes unanimous resolution against NATO attack
* Seeks implementation of all resolutions relating to drone attacks and war on terror passed by parliament
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: Endorsing the government decision of blocking NATO supply, evacuation of Shamsi Air Base and not attending the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan, the Upper House on Friday passed a unanimous resolution against the NATO attack on a military post, which demanded that the government review its engagements with US-led international forces in the war on terror.The resolution, which was backed by all political parties, was tabled by Leader of Opposition in the Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. The resolution stated that in case of foreign aggression, the nation would stand united for the country’s defence. The resolution further demanded that all resolutions that had been passed in the Senaterelating to drone attacks and the war against terror should be implemented in letter and spirit.The senators informed the House that apart from the Shamsi air base, four others, namely Shehbaz Air Base, Pasni Air Base, Dalband Air Base and Khalid Air Base, were also used by American forces. They demanded that all these air bases should be evacuated by the US forces. Claiming that the US-led forces not only violated the sovereignty of Pakistan, the senators said that they had also deviated from international law. The majority of the lawmakers asked the government to review Pakistan’s relations with the US and its engagements with international forces.Though the session was convened to discuss the memogate issue, it was decided in the Business Advisory Committee meeting to also discuss the NATO attacks on Pakistan security forces. Opening the debate, Leader of the Opposition Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri fully endorsed the government’s decisions to stop supply to NATO forces, vacate Shamsi Airbase and boycott of Bonn Conference and urged the government to stick with the decisions taken in this regard. The government’s decisions reflected the peoples’ aspirations, he added.He said that the NATO airstrike was not only a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty, but also of the United Nations charter. He said that this was a highly deplorable act on part of NATO forces, which had resulted in the martyrdom of 24 Pakistan Army soldiers and officers.He claimed that Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had been against the government’s decision to become a frontline state in the war against terror from the very beginning, but that no one had paid heed to their stance.
Taking part in the discussion, PML Senator Salim Saifullah Khan said that the Shamsi air base had been given to the US and that the parliamentarians were unaware about it. He demanded that all parliamentarians should be briefed about government agreements with foreign countries, particularly those related to the war on terror. He said that the US promised to establish special economic zone in Tribal Areas from where goods would be directly exported to the US and the international market without any restriction, but regretted that the promise had not been fulfilled and that other countries had been given more incentives.
Khan went on to say that instead of offering an apology to Pakistan over the attack, the US government continued to speak against Pakistan.
Awami National Party Vice President Haji Adeel informed the Upper House that the ANP would resist any conspiracy hatched against the elected government and the president.
Haji Adeel said that credit went to the present democratic setup for resisting the NATO attacks. He regretted that the forces sitting in Afghanistan is expecting peace initiative in Bonn Conference but on other side they also killing Pakistani forces. He urged the government to not compromise on national security until the US forces apologised. Adeel questioned why the government could not resist against the Abbotabad incident, the attack on the Navy in Karachi and other major incidents.The Senate’s session was then adjourned to December 7.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk