Parliamentarians from both side of the political divide in Senate on Friday expressed serious concerns over the reports that US might carry out drone attacks on Quetta on the pretext of the alleged presence of Taliban and al Qaeda leadership in the city.
Declaring any such strike a direct attack on the sovereignty of the country, lawmakers from both opposition and treasury side called upon the government to take notice of the report and lodged formal protest with US. Opposition members also criticised the Kerry-Lugar Bill and termed the conditionalities attached with the law to triple non-military aid to Pakistan against the dignity and sovereignty of Pakistan.
They demanded of the government to hold debat on the Bill in both houses of the parliament. They said the government should not accept the Bill without the approval of the parliament. Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Waseem Sajjad, on a point of order said any drone attack on Quetta city would be direct attack on the sovereignty of the country.
He also termed Kerry-Lugar Bill a direct attack on sovereignty and independence of Pakistan. He claimed US wants to get control of Pakistan's nuclear programme through the bill. "Before US President Barack Obema signed the bill, it should be discussed in our parliament. The government should make public its terms and conditions," he demanded.
Senator Raza Rabbani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) strongly scoffed the report that America might launch drone attacks against the Taliban and al Qaeda leaderships allegedly present in Quetta. "It is a very serious issue and we have already condemned such attacks on Tribal Areas. Pakistani nation would never tolerate any such strike on Quetta. The whole nation is against such attacks," he said.
Rabbani told the house that the meeting of parliamentary committee on national security has been convened to discuss the issue and Foreign Minster Shah Mehmood Qureshi would brief the committee about the Kerry-Lugar Bill. Raja Zafar-ul-Haq of PML-N expressed serious concerns over the Bill and the reported US plan to target Quetta through drones. He demanded of the government to clarify its policy about drone attacks.
"I appeal to President Obama to refer the Kerry Lugar Bill to Congress for review before signalling it into law. When conditionalities attached with the aid Bill would be made public, Pakistanis hatred against US will increase," he opined.
Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo of Balochistan National Party strongly criticised the reports that US might attack Quetta and warned if the Queta was attacked the red zone of Islamabad would not be spared. He claimed US wants to establish its military base in Balochistan and planning to start drone attacks but the government was not taking any action.
Abdul Rahim Khan Mandokhel of PKMAP also condemned the reports about possible US drone attacks on Quetta, saying if any leader of Taliban and al Qaeda is there then the government should itself take action against them. Senator Ishaq Dar criticised Kerry-Lugar Bill and claimed it was an indirect attack on nuclear assets of the country. He urged US President to send the bill to congress for review.
Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of JUI-F asked the government to summon US ambassador to the foreign office and lodge protest against the report that US might attack Quetta. He said the whole nation was united against drone attacks, Kerry-Lugar Bill and presence of Blackwater men in the country. Minster of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan said US should not attack Quetta. He called for establishing mechanism of intelligence sharing between US and Pakistan about terrorist.
He said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qurashi has discussed the issues with US authorities and after reaching Pakistan he would belief the Parliament. He said Kashmir was core issue between India and Pakistan, adding Foreign Minster Shah Mehmood discussed the issue with his Indian counterpart during their meeting in New York. Senators Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, Kalsoom Perveen, Muhammad Ismail Buledi and others also took part in the debatre and criticised the reported US plan to target the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership allegedly present in Quetta.
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