Speakers at a seminar on "Iran-US stand-off: Options for Pakistan" on Thursday urged Pakistan to adopt a pro-active policy to stop US from attacking Iran over its Nuclear program. Chairing the session, Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad said that Pakistan's policy regarding US-Iran stand-off should be based on principles.
He observed that the US had created surrogates in Middle East and Western Asia like Pre-Islamic revolution Iran and Israel in the post-colonial period, but after the Islamic revolution in Iran that chord was disturbed. The scenario changed and the US was coming up with different strategies where the force option could be disastrous.
Professor Khurshid was of the opinion that if the super powers didn't accept the reality of their brutalities, they would be responsible for resistance. "Terrorism is the product of asymmetry of power and weapon of the weak against the powerful," he added.
He urged Pakistan to stop US from using force against Iran even if its mandated by the UN as illegitimate decisions cannot be at par with legitimate ones. "Action against Iran would be against the Muslim World. Iran must not be left alone," he stressed.
Seminar organised by the "Institute of Policy Studies', was attended by the scholars, diplomats, intelligentsia, media and students. Former Foreign Secretary Mr Shamshad Ahmad Khan said that Pakistan should work for peaceful resolution of the problem as any misadventure by the US would disturb the country for its geo-strategic location.
He suggested that any gaps in Iran's nuclear program should be addressed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Answering a question Mr Shamshad said that Pakistan cannot play a role of moderator between Iran and America as it doesn't have any clout in the international politics.
A scholar Agha Murtaza Poya said that the US is not against Iranian bomb but against its ideological bomb: to wipe out Israel.
It was a fallacy that US would always support Israel. He predicted that the creation of a United Palestine and destruction of Israel would occur in 2008. "Anti-Zionism is gaining strength in the US," he added.
"Iran never stated to have developed nuclear weapon or have threatened any nation with nuclear attack but the US and Israel have done so.", he added.
He hoped that US would not attack Iran and there would be a rapprochement between the two for the convergence of their interest regarding Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lieutenant General Talat Masood (R) said that US has thrown the ball in Iranian court after offering alternatives to Iran for stopping its uranium enrichment. He said that the EU-Iran talks cannot have credibility with the participation of US.
"There were conflicts in approaches towards solving Iranian nuclear issue, within the key players. There is a conflict in US and EU where US suspects Iran for developing nuclear bombs," observed Talat
He opined that the US perceives Iran as hegemonic regional power in the Middle East and can turn into a global power thus challenging US authority. He said there was a bipartisan view in the US that nuclear Iran is not acceptable to them and their people too share this view.
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