After a delay of weeks and months, Pakistan has finally decided to convene the crucial ‘joint session of parliament’ on March 19 to approve the recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on review of relations with the United States, which will pave the way for restoration of NATO supplies blocked in the aftermath of NATO air strikes on Pakistani border posts last year in November that killed 24 soldiers.
The joint session of both Houses of parliament was supposed to be held by the end of January this year or in first week of February when the PCNS finalized its recommendations by mid January on nature of new terms of engagement with US vis-à-vis the ongoing war on terrorism and what would be the nature of relations with Washington in future.
This important session, however, couldn’t be held owing to grave political crisis that the government confronted in shape of confrontation with judiciary and army. Senate polls were another reason of the delay in the convening the joint session of parliament. “It has been decided now that the joint session for parliamentary review of Pakistan-US relations will be held on 19th of this month, two days after another joint session of parliament that would be addressed by President Asif Ali Zardari on March 17,” said a Pakistani diplomat requesting anonymity.
The joint session, which could stretch to two or three days in case the debate on the nature of future ties between Islamabad and Washington gets prolonged, will approve the recommendations of PCNS on different aspects of Pakistan-US relations in form of a unanimous resolution. The resolution, according to Pakistani diplomat, will ask for taxing NATO supply containers and oil tankers in future thus paving the way for their resumption across the border into Afghanistan through Pakistani soil.
The joint session would once again oppose the drone strikes but a firm no to these deadly strikes, is not likely to be the part of its resolution.
“The drone strikes in future will be few in number when they are extremely needed and that too after intelligence information is provided by Pakistani officials,” he said.
He said the resolution would demand the US respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the future and not go for a unilateral military action again on the pattern of a secret army raid carried out by American Special Forces in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 to kill al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
The resolution, which would be broad in context, would allow and give space to the officials from Islamabad and Washington to settle the other conflicting matters like presence of CIA operatives and American military trainers in Pakistan.
“In order to discuss the modalities of settling such conflicting matters, US CENTCOM Chief General James Mattis will arrive in Islamabad soon after the Joint session of parliament and he is likely to be accompanied by Special American Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman,” the diplomat said.
Pakistani authorities had earlier advised the US CENTCOM chief and ambassador Grossman to put of their visits to Islamabad, which were supposed to take place last month, until the holding of the joint session of both houses of parliament.
“As these US officials arrive to discuss the contentious bilateral matters, Pakistani ambassador to US, Sherry Rehman, will also visit Islamabad to assist the country’s leadership in working out modalities on future course of relations with Washington,” the Pakistani diplomat said.
Another Pakistani official said Pakistan was also expecting a formal apology by the US over NATO airstrikes on two of its border posts that resulted in the standoff between the two major nations in the anti-terrorism global campaign as senior officials from Washington visit the Pakistani capital in next few days.
