LAHORE – Fearing that enmity with the US can cost Pakistan dearly, Railways Minister and Awami National Party (ANP) senior leader Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Friday advocated the restoration of NATO supply.
The Minister was in Lahore to inquire after the health of an ANP leader Sohail Akhtar Malik, who faced cardiac arrest a few days back.  A local TV quoted him saying: ‘NATO supply should be restored as we can’t bear the enmity with the superpower in prevailing economic scenario of Pakistan’.
The government had blocked the supply routes towards Afghanistan in protest at the November 26, 2011 deadly NATO air raid on Pakistani border posts in Mohmand Agency that killed 24 soldiers of Pakistan Army.
The Parliamentary Commission formed on the same issue has recently recommended that 50 per cent of US/NATO/ISAF containers may be handled through Pakistan Railways, but the commission seeks an unconditional apology from the US for the unprovoked incident.
The lawmakers are debating on the terms of the nation’s reengagement with US.
The ANP leader, however, favoured the reopening of supply to US and its coalition forces in Afghanistan without explaining on what conditions.
He said that Pakistan Railways was ready to provide its freight service for NATO supply if the Parliament recommended for the same.
The Minister was approached to confirm his statement but his phone was not responding. A source in Pakistan Railways told this scribe that the Railways Minister is going to hold a Press conference on Saturday (today) on the same issue.
In the Saturday’s Press conference, the Minister will certainly advocate the restoration of NATO supply in the name of expected economic benefit to Pakistan Railways, said the source.
Talking to the TV, he said the whether the Supreme Court punishes the Prime Minister or acquits him, the status of Gilani would go up.
He said the Punjab Government was distributing laptop among the students as an election campaign.