Parliament sets to reassess US ties

The parliament is scheduled to begin on March 20 a debate on the long-awaited review of future relationship with the United States.
The National Assembly and Senate will meet jointly for three days and will also discuss terms of engagement with the US and its NATO allies in Afghanistan.
Air raid on two border posts by the American fighter jets and helicopters in mohmand tribal region in November and killing of 24 soldiers promoted the parliamentary review. Pakistani civilian and military leadership was quick to halt supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan via country’s land route and vacated a key air base from the US army in Balochistan province.
The government had been under mounting pressure to reevaluate relationship with the US after the air strike as the Americans had reluctant to apologize for the action and even equated Pakistani forces for the strike on the Pakistani posts.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security had been tasked to float recommendations to reassess ties with the US/NATO and Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces. The committee had already submitted its recommendations for the parliament debate.
The parliament will also debate and decide restoration of supplies for NATO troops, which has been suspended for four months.
The country’s top civilian and military leadership as well as key allies met at a rare meeting last week to discuss the upcoming parliamentary review of future relationship with the US.
President Asif Ali Zardari had presided over the meeting in Islamabad and discussed strategy for the parliament meeting. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Air Chief Marshal Qamar Suleman and intelligence chief, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Senior coalition leaders were also invited to the meeting to seek their opinion on the proposed debate.
The government spokesmen told the media that the meeting reiterated the government’s earlier stance that the parliament will take decision on the NATO supply and relationship with the U.S., but sources said that the leaders agreed to restore land routes for NATO supplies and revive normal ties with the United States.
Pakistan has already allowed NATO supply through its airspace, which also indicates a positive signal for restoration of land NATO supply route. The country’s Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar has hinted restoration of NATO land supply route with certain conditions, including levying of tax on NATO trucks and oil tankers.
In return the US will also allow resumption of the equipment delivery to Pakistan which had been blocked after Islamabad closed the NATO supply line in November, the sources said.
In the wake of deterioration in relations, Pakistan had earlier refused to welcome top US military leaders and diplomats until the parliamentary review is completed, but the meeting also decided to receive top US visitors whenever they want to visit Pakistan and they agreed with the proposed visit of the US Central Command Chief General James Mathis, who is likely to visit later this month.
General Mathis told reporters in Washington this month that he will discus, besides other important issues, the plan of using the Pakistan land routes for the American troops at the time of withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US plans to withdraw several thousands troops this year as part of its Afghan exit strategy.