The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) suffered a double-blow on Friday as the leaders of two major opposition parties expressed their distrust on the committee’s proceedings, and claimed that the government had already decided to reopen supply routes for NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman was the first to distance himself from the PCNS, which is working to formulate recommendations on Pakistan’s terms of engagement with the United States. Pakistan angrily blocked NATO supply routes after ISAF aircraft bombed two of its border check posts on November 26, 2011, and killed 24 soldiers. Pakistan also called for a parliamentary review of relations with the US. Besides the JUI-F chief, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also warned the government against the restoration of NATO supply routes, warning of quitting his office if supplies were resumed. Fazl, who boycotted the PCNS’ proceedings at the Parliament House, told reporters that the government had already decided to reopen supply routes for NATO forces through Pakistan. “Since the decision has already been made to reopen NATO supplies, it is now impossible for me to attend the committee meetings anymore,” he said.
Fazl had earlier announced that the restoration of NATO supply routes, either conditionally or unconditionally, would be opposed at every forum. The JUI-F chief further said that he would not attend the parliament’s session over the domestic violence bill. He also criticised President Asif Ali Zardari for issuing remarks about the dead father of PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif.
He advised the Sharifs not to respond to Zardari’s taunts. Earlier in the day, Chaudhry Nisar said he had made his stance clear to his party and the leadership of other parties in the opposition about the restoration of NATO supplies. The PML-N leader claimed that he had been informed by reliable sources that there were certain federal ministers who were actively lobbying for the resumption of the NATO supplies through Pakistan. He urged the opposition leaders to take all stakeholders on board before taking any decision in this regard.