ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party leadership has failed to win over the united opposition to have smooth sailing in the joint sitting of parliament on foreign policy revisit with specific reference to the country’s relations with United States and resumption of Nato ground supply.
The behind the scene efforts by the government were in progress for quite sometime and that was the reason the joint session could not initiate debate on the 40-point set of recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) here on Monday.
Sources in opposition informed that they had some difference with the government and would be meeting with treasury side again on Tuesday morning to break the impasse. But there is strong likelihood that the joint session might not start the debate on the PCNS recommendations even on Tuesday and the matter would be delayed further.
These sources were of the view that as both President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also PPP co-chairman, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani were abroad, so their were more chances of delay in kicking off the debate as the opposition would definitely be asking for top-level assurance on the implementation of agreed terms.
Sources in the parliament informed that Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah and PCNS Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani met the leadership of united opposition at the Leader of Opposition in National Assembly’s Chamber to seek their support in formulating the fresh terms of engagement with United States and Nato in the ongoing war on terror. But both these leaders failed in their effort to win the support of the opposition.
The opposition side in the negotiations was lead by Ch Nisar Ali Khan while others who were in attendance included JUI-F President Fazlur Rehman, his younger brother Attaur Rehman, PPP-S President Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, and PML-N’s Senator Ishaq Dar and MNA Zahid Hamid.
Sources aware of the deliberations of the meeting informed The Nation that both Khurshid Shah and Raza Rabbani failed to convince the opposition leaders to show some flexibility in their stand on the Nato supply resumption via Pakistan but the opposition side was not forthcoming and made it clear that they would not budge an inch from their firm stand.
Sources informed that PPP-led coalition government wanted to restore the Nato supplies on fresh terms and conditions, and in this connection they had even taken affirmative nod of the military establishment, but opposition parties were taking stiff stand on some of the issues and wanted to place tough conditions for restoration of the supplies and future engagement with United States in the ongoing war on terror.
Opposition sources informed that first of all they wanted unconditional apology from the US for Salala checkpost ambush, which resulted in the martyrdom of 24 Pakistan Army personnel, and action against all the US/ISAF officials involved in it. Assurance should also be taken from the United States that such blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would not be breached in future, the sources added.
Similarly, the opposition also wanted to have some sort of oversight role in the drone hits and would not accept unabated drone attacks and there should be strong intelligence-sharing before future drone operation in Pakistan so that it could be ensured that the target would be terrorists and not the innocent civilians.
Opposition also wanted a very strong mechanism in place to have an eye on the American nationals operating in Pakistan as spies and the United States should withdraw all such secret agents from the country and operate inside Pakistan only through Pakistani agencies.
The sources said that opposition wanted compliance of all these conditions and many more which were covered in the 40-point recommendations of PCNS for restoration of the Nato supply routes via Pakistan.