ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday called on the government to consider suspending cooperation with the United States and to draw a blueprint for the return of Afghan refugees to their home country in a dignified manner but in a specified timeframe.
The demands were made in a unanimously passed resolution condemning US President Donald Trump’s new policy for South Asia, as lawmakers from across the political spectrum collectively raised their voice against accusations levelled against Pakistan for allegedly providing safe haven to terrorist outfits.
Presenting the resolution on the floor of the House, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the NA rejects Trump’s recent policy statement as well as America’s top general in Afghanistan Gen John Nicholson’s claims regarding the presence of Afghan Taliban leadership in Quetta and Peshawar.
“The House denounces the complete disregard of Pakistan’s sacrifices by the US,” he said, adding that the National Assembly stands with the armed forces of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism.
Once the speaker presented the resolution on the floor, it was adopted unanimously.
The resolution calls on the government of Pakistan to consider postponing any visits by US officials and vice-versa as well as suspension of cooperation with the US — particularly ground/air lines of communication through Pakistan.
It also calls on the government to draw up and inform the US and Afghan governments of a blueprint for the return of Afghan refugees to their home country in a dignified manner, but a specified timeframe.
Moreover, the resolution advises the government to formulate economic policies to deal with any situation arising out of the absence of US assistance and commence a diplomatic initiative to inform the international community of repercussions of the failed US Afghan policy in the region.
Lawmakers also demanded the government to reiterate Pakistan’s determination to strengthen border control measures and demand cooperation and similar action from Afghanistan and international forces in Afghanistan.
Moreover, the resolution expressed concern over the increasing number of Daesh and other terrorist networks, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaatul Ahrar, in Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan and called on Afghanistan, the US and its allies to close borders to leaders of groups carrying out attacks in Pakistan.
The NA saw the call for an Indian role in Afghanistan’s development as “detrimental to regional stability,” adding that it was premised on a “failure to understand existing ground realities and challenges in the region.”
Reiterating Pakistan’s support for India-held Kashmir’s (IHK) struggle for self-determination, the lower house condemned the “oppression” of the people of IHK by the Indian state.
Recognising the sacrifices of the armed forces of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, the house expressed full support for the counter-terrorism operations of the armed forces, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies.
“As a responsible nuclear weapons state, Pakistan has in place a robust and credible command and control system which has been universally recognised,” the resolution asserted.
SHAH DEMANDS JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SESSION
Speaking earlier, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah proposed calling a joint session of parliament after Eid so that a ‘strong’ response can be given to the US policy.
He said that the NA should prepare a resolution regarding the Trump policy while keeping Pakistan’s neighbours in mind. “There is nothing to be emotional about; we should keep our wits about us and create a resolution,” he added.
“The biggest reason for our [foreign policy] failure is the fact that we sidelined our Foreign Office for so long,” he said.
He blamed the country’s foreign policy ‘failure’ over the past four years on the government’s decision to not have a dedicated separate foreign minister.
“There are a lot of competent people in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) but they [government] could not find a foreign minister,” he lamented. Had Sharif even made Abid Sher Ali, a PML-N lawmaker, the country’s foreign minister, we would have accepted it, Shah continued amid laughter from the opposition benches.
The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP’s) senior leader came down hard on former ambassador Abdul Basit’s scathing letter to Pakistan’s envoy in US Aizaz Chaudhry.
“This is a failure of governance,” said Shah.
‘US AID IS PEANUTS’
Taking the floor of the House after Shah, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that Pakistan was not responsible for the failure of US and its allies in Afghanistan.
He also ridiculed Trump’s claim that the US has paid “billions and billions of dollars” to Pakistan and called on the government to issue the record of the past 20 years to “expose” American claims.
“It’s not billions of dollars, it’s peanuts,” the former interior minister said.
Nisar said that Coalition Support Fund (CSF) payments from the US were for services rendered by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
He also criticised the US for dragging its feet in making payments from the military fund, adding: “If our bill [for military services] is $500 million, they [US] sit on it for months […] and end up giving us $200 million.”
“They have ruined our roads, our airspace and our country, but are not ready to pay for the expenses.”
“Put your money where your mouth is,” Nisar said, adding that the US has been able to point fingers because Pakistan did not keep a proper record of American assistance.
Nisar said that while he was the interior minister, he had called for an “international audit” of US claims that it had paid Pakistan $240 million over five years.
But that “very democratic country [US] did not respond to the audit proposal, and the matters are still the same,” claimed Nisar.
Peace in Afghanistan is more in the interest of Pakistan than of the US, but “no one should expect one-sided cooperation from Pakistan”, he added.
Agreeing with Shah, he said that a joint session of the parliament should have been called to discuss the response to the US policy instead of a National Assembly session.
A message conveyed from a united Parliament would be positive, he added.
Nisar said that all the institutions should be united and speak the same language in responding to the new US policy, adding that a statement based on arguments should be prepared in which the allegations of terrorist networks and inordinate US aid are addressed.
He suggested that an international forum could be chosen where “we point out the terror networks existing there [Afghanistan] and you [point to the networks] here”, following which a procedure could be chalked out to determine whether terrorist networks exist in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Additionally, he said, an audit of US aid received in the last 10 years should be conducted to determine how much money was spent in Pakistan, and “how much they gave with one hand and how much went back [with] the other”.
The ex-minister said that it was a positive step that the visit of US Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells was rescheduled. The diplomat should visit, he said, “but we should first say we want to wipe the slate clean regarding the allegations levelled against us”.
He said that a way forward should be cleared by the Foreign Ministry: “You [US] give us the evidence, we will clear [the matter]”, he said, adding that the biggest destabilising factor in Afghanistan is the US plan to impose a “totally irrelevant country”, India, on Afghanistan.
QURESHI IMPRESSED WITH NA’S UNITY:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi appreciated the unity displayed by the government and opposition lawmakers in responding to Trump’s statement.
“These speeches go to show that Pakistan has rejected Trump’s statement with unity,” he said while addressing the House.
“Trump said that Pakistan is not doing enough in the war against terrorism, but tell me one nation that has paid a higher price for this war,” Qureshi said. “Our army, police, even our own people, have lost their lives in this war; no other country can say they have done as much.”
Pakistan thanked the US for the assistance it has given to the former, but both sides should sit down and “tabulate the amount of money that has been given to us, and everything that has been taken from us,” said Qureshi. “Let us calculate the amount and then see who has spent more.”
“As foreign minister, I know how difficult it was to get reimbursements under the CSF from the US,” he stressed, referring to a similar statement from Nisar.
He said that Pakistan has always stood for peace and stability in Afghanistan because it knows that “peace in Pakistan will not be possible without peace in Afghanistan”.
Appreciating Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif’s plan to visit China, Russia and Turkey for consultations on the new American policy, Qureshi said that the minister should also visit Iran, with whom both Pakistan and Afghanistan share borders.
He said Pakistan does not want to fight America but also will not bow down to it.
He recalled that former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a ‘favourite’ of the US, has also rejected Trump’s policy.
“I ask Trump, do you not see the safe havens in eastern Afghanistan,” said Qureshi.
He also questioned Trump who scuttled Pakistan’s efforts to ensure better border management with Afghanistan.
“The international community has forgotten the Afghan refugees in Pakistan,” he said, adding “how much is the US assisting in aiding those refugees”.
He called out Trump’s comments on terror funding saying “does Trump not see the vast poppy fields in Afghanistan that fund terrorism.”
The PTI leader criticised India’s ‘continued opposition’ to resolving bilateral issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue.
He said it is not Pakistan’s policy to see the “Talibanisation of Afghanistan”, as it is not the government’s policy to see the Talibanisation of Pakistan.
“I see a lot of Indian ingress in the US Congress,” he shared further.
PTI’s Shireen Mazari came down hard against Europe and US, saying they themselves are providing safe havens to extremist elements in their territories and Pakistan should not ignore this.
The foreign minister also briefly addressed the session, followed by other lawmakers. They were arguing back and forth over the contents of the assembly’s resolution on the issue.
Earlier, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed also addressed the assembly. He too criticised Basit’s letter, saying it was embarrassing to see news of it in the media.
He suggested the government should open backdoor diplomacy with the US.
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They are very good at passing resolutions, but when it comes to implementation, it is entirely a different matter. Many resolutions are gathering cob webs in filing cabinets.
Pakistan slept with the enemy and now is reaping the fruits. Currently its indias turn, and. O doubt in due time we shall also learn how evil america is.
Pakistan, i call on you – Come back dear brother and lets join hands in friendship. We lived together for so long, in harmony and were dividided by the evil western colonialsts. We are brothers. Is it not better that we stand together. Or fall divided?
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