No compromise on sovereignty

As Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that Pakistan would not accept any outside pressure or dictation “to do more” and all decisions would be taken in the interest of the country, the political leadership of the country unanimously rejected the allegations from the United States and agreed that the country’s foreign policy needed a new direction to give “peace a chance”, with a resolve that the country’s sovereignty would not be compromised.
“Pakistan cannot be pressured to do more… our national interest must be respected and honoured,” Gilani said in his opening statement at the All-Parties Conference (APC), which later adopted a unanimous resolution at the end of a nine-hour marathon session. Convened by the PM against the backdrop of security environment following the US allegations, the APC sent a clear message, saying: “Defence of Pakistan’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity is a sacred duty which shall never be compromised.”
Rejecting the recent assertions and baseless allegations made against Pakistan, the APC noted that such assertions were without substance and derogatory to a partnership approach. “The Pakistani nation affirms its full solidarity and support for the armed forces of Pakistan in defeating any threat to national security,” the unanimous resolution stated.
The APC was briefed by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha on the security environment of the country and the regional situation. Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani also responded to the questions of the participants. Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Khalid Shamim Wyne also attended the APC, which recognised that there had to be a new direction and policy with a focus on peace and reconciliation, with “give peace a chance” being the guiding central principle henceforth.
“As a peace-loving country, Pakistan desires to establish and maintain friendly and cordial relations with all countries of the world on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual interest and respect,” the resolution stated. Giving the country’s foreign policy a future guideline, the APC’s resolution stated that Pakistan must initiate dialogue with a view to negotiate peace with “our own people in the tribal areas and a proper mechanism for this [should] be put in place”. The APC resolved that “national interests are supreme and shall guide Pakistan’s policy and response to all challenges at all times”.
The APC also recognised the sacrifices of the people and the security forces of Pakistan, especially the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas. “The international community needs to recognise these tremendous sacrifices as well as the colossal magnitude of destruction in Pakistan,” the resolution stated, stressing the need to enhance further the country’s brotherly bilateral relations with Afghanistan at three levels on a priority basis: government-to-government, institution-to-institution and people-to-people. The APC proposed that Pakistan could enhance its self-reliance comprehensively.
“Trade, not aid, should clearly be the way forward. We should also focus on internal economic and tax reforms as well as resource mobilisation and the curbing of corruption,” the resolution stated, recommending that Pakistan should continue to endeavour to promote stability and peace at the regional and global planes in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE: On the insistence of the participants, it was made part of the resolution that all earlier unanimous resolutions of parliament and the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on National Security must be implemented and a parliamentary committee be formed to oversee the implementation of earlier resolutions as well as this resolution, and progress should be made public on a monthly basis.
Earlier, Gilani had said the only reasonable basis for conducting inter-state relations was to adhere to principles of sovereign, equality, mutual interest and mutual respect. “Pakistan is proud of its armed forces and has full confidence in their capabilities for ensuring national defence,” he said. “Blame game is counter-productive. This should end and Pakistan’s red lines and national interests must be respected. Any perceptional differences and issues should best be resolved through a constructive dialogue,” he said, calling upon the political leadership and the people of Pakistan to reaffirm, in unequivocal terms, their resolve to defend the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of their motherland.
He said every new challenge presented new opportunities. “We will rise together and prove equal to the tasks at hand,” he said, urging the political leadership to set aside their differences to uphold national security so that the nation and the world could see that “we stand united” in safeguarding Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, national dignity and honour. “Believing in the principles of humanity and mindful of our responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations, Pakistan has carried the burden of the international community and made relentless effort in the interest of regional security, stability and peace,” he said, observing that Pakistan was at a new turning point in the regional situation.
“The quest for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan is compounded by an increase in violence.” He said that on the request of the government of Afghanistan, Pakistan signaled its readiness to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned inclusive process for peace and reconciliation. “A Joint Commission was established for this purpose which is co-chaired by (Afghan) President (Hamid) Karzai and myself. We also agreed to form a Trilateral Core Group consisting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States for the purposes of consultation, cooperation and coordination at the strategic and operational planes,” he added.
The prime minister said while these initiatives were ongoing, the security situation in Afghanistan, particularly in Kabul, started to deteriorate. “There have been several terrorist attacks in Kabul recently. The tragic assassination of Chairman of the High Peace Council Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani constitutes a huge setback to the peace process.” He said it was in the backdrop of these developments that Pakistan was surprised by statements from responsible US officials.
He said Pakistan had always said that the only way forward was to engage constructively by deepening engagement at all levels. “The only reasonable basis for conducting inter-state relations is to adhere to principles of sovereign equality, mutual interest and mutual respect.”