No verbal agreement with US on drone attacks: FO

Stressing halt to drone attacks inside Pakistan territory, Foreign Office on Thursday said that no verbal agreement in this connection was committed.
Amid his weekly press briefing while responding to questions here, FO spokesman Abdul Basit said Pakistan cannot tolerate drone attacks inside its territory. “We say it must be stopped as these are illegal, counterproductive and unacceptable,” he added.
He also clarified that Pakistan could deal with militants or terrorists as it had killed or apprehended 700 Al-Qaeda members as far as war on terror is concerned.
Referring to the parliamentary committee’s recommendation on Pakistan engagement with US, he said that the committee recommended that all agreements with US should be revisited and no agreement should be acceptable if unwritten. “It says that no verbal commitment should be realised.”
The committee called for transparency and we would implement the parliament’s decision, he said adding that the parliamentary process completion was awaited.
He said that Pakistan-US agreement on Acquisition and Cross Security had expired in February while the agreement with NATO was intact.
To a question regarding different policy for Al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan, he said that the prime minister had already urged all the groups in Afghanistan including Hizb-e-Islami and Taliban to support reconciliation in Afghanistan and Islamabad is clear to support Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process in the country.
When he was asked about as what mean by the statement of Pakistani Ambassador in Washington Sherry Rehman as she said that changes in Pakistan is going on, he replied to ask her. However, he said that change in Pakistan is a fact you see the role of judiciary, vibrant media, enhanced democratic process and active parliament.
Regarding Pakistani detainees in Guantanamo Bay, the Spokesman said that five Pakistanis are in the detention centre and ‘we all the time raise the issue with Americans”.
To a question about the situation in Balochistan and demarches to UK and Switzerland, he said that Islamabad was ensured not to allow anti-Pakistan activity on their soil.
On reports of certain foreign media regarding Pakistani officials’ payment to Bangladeshi politicians, he said that such reports were baseless and mischievous aiming at damaging brotherly relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier, he informed that on the invitation of the president of Tajikistan, President Asif Ali Zardari was visiting the country from March 25-26 where Pakistani, Afghan, Tajik and Iranian presidents would hold a meeting.
He said that with Tajikistan, air and road connectivity would be discussed and then the president would participate in RECCA-V in Dushanbe.