The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on Tuesday finalised the preliminary report on its recommendations for new terms of engagement with the United States, linking the resumption of NATO supply routes with a halt in drone attacks inside Pakistan.
The report will be presented to the leadership of various political parties for a nod. The committee members are scheduled to again meet on Thursday for giving final touches to the report. Later, the report will be presented to the joint sitting of the parliament.
Although US Ambassador Cameron Munter met with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman to clarify his country’s position on reopening of NATO supply routes, the latter remained adamant on his boycott of PCNS meeting.
A source while requesting anonymity told Pakistan Today that the PCNS, in its new draft, had recommended that the government should make a conditional offer to the US about reopening of NATO supply routes, only if drone attacks were halted forthwith.
“We have also proposed to block transportation of weapons through NATO supply routes, while it was also recommended that no airbase would be handed over to any foreign force. The committee has also recommended that NATO supply routes may be opened with imposition of levy. No security contractor would be allowed to operate inside Pakistan in covert or overt operations, the PCNS further recommended.
PCNS chief Senator Raza Rabbani told media that the JUI-F continued its protest and boycott of the meeting, while the PML-N had sought permission for getting the draft approved by its party leadership.
Rabbani said the PCNS had made some new recommendations and members would now hold consultations with their respective parties. The PCNS will next meet on Thursday.
Supplies must not be resumed at any cost
Why the new PCNS recommendations are not making it conditional for charging a suitable fee to NATO, for use of Pakistani air space?
Have we forgotten that America charged (for the confiscated planes)Pakistan for the parking of our fully paid F16 fighter planes.
And today, after all our cooperation amd sacrifices in the war on terror for more than a decade, they have repaid our favors by bombing a Pakistani post and killing our more than two dozen soldiers, but still we want them to use our airspace for free.
We never imagined our parliamentarians will be such a gut less lot?
God save Pakistan.
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