Sharif just performing advisory role: Sartaj

• Adviser says ToRs for Islamic alliance yet to be finalised through a mechanism
• ‘Pakistan has no ungoverned spaces for terrorists to plan, carry out attack’

Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday informed the Senate that Pakistan had conveyed to the US and Afghanistan that Pakistan is a stable and peaceful country that has no ungoverned spaces from where terrorists plan and carry out attacks on a third country.

“We remain convinced that Pak-US cooperation is a pre-requisite to achieve lasting peace in the region. Pakistan is taking action against all the terrorist groups without any discrimination, including the Haqqani Network,” he said while giving policy statement on a motion moved by Taj Haider and others about the implications of the statement of US Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain in Kabul.

“Our policy towards all militants and their networks, including the Haqqani network is quite clear. We will fight them wherever they are and will never tolerate their presence on our soil,” he said. He said that all this was being done in our national interest and this policy was not dependent on attitudinal change of any country.

“McCain is also of the view that Pak-US relations was more important than ever before,” Sartaj said. On the issue of the Haqqani network, the visiting US delegation was told that since 2013, the government through Zarb-e-Azb operation had destroyed terrorist networks across the country including the tribal areas, he said.

Sartaj said the delegation was taken to Wana in South Waziristan to see for themselves the outcome of these security operations. The US delegation was briefed about Pakistan’s efforts to secure the borders through fencing and enhanced surveillance, he added. “However, we also informed them of the fact that more than three million Afghan refugees lived and worked in Pakistan and to identify every operational level elements hostile to Pak-Afghan interests was not always possible,” he said.

“We therefore emphasised the safe return of the refugees at the earliest,” he said. Sartaj apprised the Senate that Senator McCain during his visit called on the prime minister along with delegation and held delegation level meeting. He said senators also met chief of the army staff and were briefed about Pakistan’s counter terrorism operations.

He said that Senator McCain many a time had expressed concern over the lack of a strategy and the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. “McCain had emphasised that increase in troops should be part of an overall strategy for Afghanistan and diplomatic efforts were also needed along with military push,” he added.

“We also shared our assessment on Afghanistan and agreed that the security situation had deteriorated and violence was on the rise. In our assessment, there was no military solution to the conflict and we told the senators that kinetic actions needed to be part of an overall reconciliation strategy. We also underscored the importance of QCG for facilitating Afghan reconciliation process.”

However, he said the peace process must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Regarding Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Riyadh-based military alliance and its impact on Pakistan, the adviser said that 41-member counter-terrorism alliance had not yet been finalised. He said that the ToRs would be finalised through a consultative mechanism of the member states at the defence ministers level.

Sartaj said that as soon as the ToRs finalised, these would be placed before the parliament. The lawmakers questioned as to why the former army chief had been sent to Saudi Arabia prior to finalisation of the ToRs. Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani inquired as to why Raheel Sharif was in Saudi Arabia if he was not leading any troops and why the ToRs of the alliance had not been finalised.

Rabbani inquired how the government was able to send a former army chief who had sensitive information about nuclear programme without even knowing the ToRs of the alliance. Responding to queries, Sartaj said that former army chief was presently performing only advisory role and not heading any troops. Senator Ilyas Bilour argued the Saudi-led alliance may trigger sectarian conflict in Pakistan if the ToRs were aimed at targeting Iran.

Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan said that such foreign policy should be devised which was in the best interest of the country rather than to benefit an individual. Taj Haider, Azam Swati, Tahir Hussasin Mashhadi, Farhatullah Babar, Mushahidullah Khan, Sehar Kamran, Usman Kakar, Mian Attique, Sherry Rehman and others also spoke on the motion.

Senator Farhatullah Babar opined while Raheel Sharif had announced 10 months prior to his retirement that he would not be looking for an extension in his tenure as the army chief, what was the purpose of making the announcement so far in advance?

The opposition lawmakers also entered into a verbal spat with Senator Mushahidullah Khan who took jibes at the PPP and the PTI leaders. Mushahidullah chose to attack PPP chief Asif Zardari and PTI leadership by taunting both the parties. He said that Asif Zardari had recently said that former envoy to US Husain Haqqani was a traitor who had played a role in issuing visa to CIA agents.

He said that Asif Zardari had been protecting traitors under his government. He also targeted Senator Azam Khan Swati and said that the PTI lawmaker used better language when he was in the JUI-F. He said that since Swati had joined PTI, his language has turned worse. The opposition lawmakers agitated and asked the chair to expunge Mushahidullah’s remarks.