The members of the Upper House of parliament on Friday lashed out at the US for drone attacks inside Pakistani territory as Pakistani government also came in the line of fire for its mysterious silence over the issue.
Senator Mushahidullah Khan said the House must pass a resolution to condemn the government’s approach towards the issue. He said the government failed in finding a solution to the problem and lowered the morale of the entire nation.
Senator Abdul Raziq said unless the government changed the Afghan policy, the issue would continue to create problems for Pakistan. “Some application may land in the UN in near future to disarm Pakistan,” he said.
Senator Abbas Khan asked the opposition parties in parliament to stage a sit-in against the drone attacks as Imran Khan had done. He suggested the government cut NATO supply line to end the drone attacks.
Urging the government should take action against drone attacks, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said they were a source of shame for the government. “Does Pakistan have forces to safeguard its borders?” he asked.
Senator Ishaq Dar underlined the need to implement joint resolutions of parliament besides cutting NATO supply route. He said non-implementation on parliamentary resolutions tantamount to contempt of parliament. He said the government should have consulted the concerned quarters before constituting an inquiry commission.
Underlining the need to revisit Pak-US relations, Senator Salim Saifullah proposed a joint meeting of the foreign affairs committees of both houses to hammer out recommendations for the government on the subject. However, the Senate chairman said he would discuss the proposal with the National Assembly speaker.
Condemning the drone attacks, Senator Azam Swati asked the government to revisit the foreign policy. He said Hassan Abdaal-Mansehra Motorway must be constructed at the earliest to give flow to Pak-China trade.
Abdur Rahim Mandokhel condemned the drone strikes and said terrorists had taken hostage the entire country. He said the government should also take care of the terrorists’ dens which were being used to launch attacks inside and outside Pakistan.
Senator Jamal Leghari said the government was oblivious to the situation and criticised the government for his silence over the drone attacks.
Senator SM Zafar said there was no use of condemning the drone attacks. He expressed concern over the US policy in-the-making, under which it could attack unrest-hit areas of a country to pre-empt any kind of attack from the terrorists.
Raza Rabbani said the government ignored parliamentary resolutions which, he added, was a moment of concern.
Professor Ibrahim Khan suggested cutting NATO supply line to force the US to stop drone attacks inside Pakistan. He asked the government to launch an operation against the strongholds of foreigners.
Khurshid Ahmad lamented the fact that the government did not take steps to stop drone attacks.
Senator Rashid Ahmad said if the government could not take effective measures to stop drone attack, it should not issue condemnations on them.
Senator Zahid Khan condemned in the US for drone strikes inside Pakistan adding that the government had failed in maintaining supply of petroleum products across the country. He said the government has gone unmindful as it did not take the problems of the masses seriously.
