Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the government has no tacit understanding with the US over drone attacks as the agitating opposition members in the National Assembly demanded of the government to take up the issue with the United Nation if such violations did not stop.
Responding to opposition criticism over the US drones strikes in the settled areas of NWFP, the Prime Minister said that such attacks by the US were intolerable. Pakistan would not allow anyone to violate its territory, he said, adding the US was informed that such attacks were counter-productive and created more difficulties in combating terrorism.
Gilani said that the parliament had already adopted a unanimous resolution on the national security. The government respected the resolution, said the Prime Minister, adding that there was no understanding or arrangement with the United States to allow the US forces to operate inside Pakistan.
He said the Advisor on National Security was constantly in touch with his US counterpart and was conveying the concerns of the people over such repeated attacks. The Prime Minister hoped that the new US administration would change its foreign policy. He assured the house that the Pakistan Army was pro-democratic, professional and supported all the government steps.
Earlier, Minister for Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Mian Raza Rabbani also condemned the air attack by Nato forces in Bannu. He said the President and the Prime Minister had taken up the issue with the US administration and the Foreign Office had already summoned the US Ambassador and lodged a strong protest over Bannu attacks by the US.
Earlier, leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that the government had repeatedly assured the house to protect the sovereignty, but the attacks by the US had been making mockery of the statements. Nisar said practical steps and not the statements were required to run a government.
The opposition leader asked the government to adopt a respectable foreign policy, and demanded of the government to protect the sovereignty of the country like respectable rulers of a respectable nation. He wanted the government to make it clear upon the US Ambassador that if such attacks were repeated, the government would approach the United Nations. If the problem was not solved by the UN as well, then the government must stop facilitating the US, he added.
Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N termed the day as blackest in the history of Pakistan because for the first time, the US drones targeted people inside settled areas. Who would guarantee that tomorrow Kahota, Lahore and Karachi would be saved? Ahsan posed a question to the House.
Ahsan also referred to reports published in the US media that these attacks were being conducted with the tacit understanding between the US and Pakistani governments. He asked the government to file a case against the newspapers if it disagreed with the report.
Amir Muqam termed the attack as deplorable, urging the government to ensure that the committee on National Security should meet on daily basis so that its output could be seen by the nation. The issue was raised by Zafar Baig, who wanted to stage a walkout to protest the attack, but gave up the idea on persuasion of Raza Rabbani.
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