Legislators on Monday asked the Pakistani and the Indian governments to resolve all bilateral disputes including the issue of Kashmir and Siachen as they expressed sorrow over the incident in which more than 100 Pakistani troops and a number of civilians were buried under snow.
They asked both countries to come to the negotiation table to discuss the bilateral relations in the backdrop of the Siachen tragedy in the joint sitting of parliament.
Speaking on a point of order, ANP Senator Haji Adeel said the neighbouring countries had been fighting a war for the last three decades which claimed hundreds of lives of military personnel from both the sides. “We are fighting more with the climate than India (at Siachen). I am unable to understand why both countries are fighting the most expensive war,” he said. He was of the view that both countries should resolve all outstanding issues including Sir Creek, Siachen and Kashmir.
Senator M Hamza of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also supported the viewpoint of the ruling senator, saying, “The human-consuming war must end now.”
He appealed to the governments of Pakistan and India to come to the negotiation table and resolve their issues in a peaceful manner.
Taking part in the debate on the proposed foreign policy, Hamza said the US should not meddle in internal affairs of Pakistan. “We don’t want war with the US but the relationship must be based on mutual respect,” he said.
The House also offered Fateha for those who lost their lives in Siachen as well as for Sindhi leader Bashir Qureshi.
Senator Afrasiab Khattak said Pak-US relations were like a pendulum. “Either we are acting as slaves or we want a war with the super power,” he said and added the relations need to be built on mutual respect.
He was worried that some foreign powers wanted to bring parliament under pressure on the issue of foreign policy. He suggested that the foreign policy of the country should be based on logic and keeping in view the interests of the country.
The members also expressed concern over sectarian clashes in Gilgit and asked the government to do the needful for keeping the law and order under control.
Sahibzada Fazl Karim demanded forming a commission to probe into the Gilgit incident as he warned the anarchy was at hand.
