Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Tuesday urged the world community to avoid double standards on issues concerning the Muslim Ummah. He was talking to International Crisis Group President Gareth Evans, at a luncheon hosted by him in his honour here at Parliament House.
The luncheon reception was also attended by Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Senator Tariq Azeem Khan, Senator Nisar Memon, Senator Gulshan Saeed, Dushka Sayed and Hameed Haroon.
Mushahid Hussain said double standard of the world regarding democracy in Palestine, situation in Iraq and Afghanistan were creating more problems instead of promoting peace in the world.
He said war was no longer an option or possibility to resolve disputes and asked the world community especially the "pressure groups" like International Crisis Group to play their due role in resolving the root causes of terrorism.
Referring to Pak-India relations, Senator Mushahid reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the composite dialogue process between the two countries aimed at addressing all outstanding issues including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said all issues should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, adding that there was broad consensus among the political parties in Pakistan that disputes and problems should be resolved through negotiations.
He said President General Pervez Musharraf, despite being a military ruler, had started dialogue process with India and a great supporter of peace process.
Regarding recent bomb blasts in India, Mushahid said the Indian allegations to involve Pakistan in those blasts were unwarranted and those accusations were baseless. He regretted that India had been finding lame excuses to detract the peace process.
Senator Mushahid expressed the hope that despite the present stalemate, the peace process between Pakistan and India would be back on track soon. He said, "Pakistan wants to continue the process, which is in the interest of both the countries" adding that without resolving Kashmir issue, the peace process could not succeed.
About Afghanistan, Mushahid said Pakistan was committed to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, and added that situation in Afghanistan was deteriorated due to wrong American policy to fight terrorism. He said the west had also adopted wrong policies on war on terrorism and created a rift between Muslim and Western world.
Mushahid said Pakistan had direct stake in the peace progress and stability of Afghanistan and had been extending full co-operation to achieve this objective.
Senator Mushahid said Israeli aggression in Lebanon was uncalled for. He said the Western world and America should realise that Israeli attack on Lebanon has further increased the gulf between Muslims and the West.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Senator Tariq Azeem Khan, while referring to the allegations of the world to do more in the war against terrorism, said the world should explain, what was the limit in "do more" in the war on terror.
Gareth Evans exchanged views on various foreign policy issues including regional security environment, future of India-Pakistan dialogue process, Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan's role in the fight against terrorism.
He said his group was an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, with nearly 120 staff members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.
Gareth Evans, who is former Foreign Minister of Australia and President of the Group since January 2000, said the Crisis Group's approach was grounded in field research and teams of political analysts were located within or close by countries at risk of outbreak.
He said the Crisis Group raised funds from governments, charitable foundations, companies and individual donors. The Group, he said, had also prepared reports on Kashmir with the recommendation that it should be resolved through negotiations by involving Kashmiris who were the important stakeholders in the issue.
The Crisis Group President said the accusations of India on Pakistan about cross border infiltration and allegations on Pakistan of interfere in Kashmir under Indian control were also baseless as the main problem is within Kashmir. About the Afghan issue, he said, the occupied forces committed many mistakes; particularly they mishandled the drug issue. Regarding Middle East, he said, the world should learn lesson from the destruction in Lebanon and other parts. He said the Group had also prepared guidelines to sue military force to ensure peace instead of creating more conflicts.
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