Government asked to take back control of Shamsi Airbase: Parliamentary Committee on National Security meets

Parliamentary Committee on National Security has urged the government to take back the control of Shamsi Airbase from the United States (US). The committee, which met here with Senator Mian Raza Rabbani in the chair, also discussed in details the country's foreign policy and its relations with United States (US), India and Afghanistan.
Sources told Business Recorder that State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar briefed the committee about Pakistan's relations with US and India. She responded the queries of the Committee's members regarding relations with the three countries specifically the visa policy in vogue at present.
Khar told the committee that Pakistan was not dependent on the United States while both the countries have a complex set of relations but the relations were still operational.
Briefing the committee, she said that there had been ups and downs in Pakistan-US relations, but both the countries need each other at this critical juncture.
She also briefed about the Pakistan-India Ministerial Meeting in New Delhi during last week of the current month. She said that relations with India were moving in the right direction and added that New Delhi did not issue any negative statement against Pakistan after recent Mumbai attacks.
The sources said that the committee strongly condemned US drone strikes in Pakistan's territory and termed it against the national integrity and sovereignty of the country.
The committee urged the government to implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and the resolution unanimously adopted by the joint sitting of parliament held on May 13 this year.
The committee urged the government to review the country's foreign policy with greater emphasis on regionalism and co-operation with neighbouring countries.
Hina said that the government was focusing on strengthening and expanding its bilateral relations as well as people to people contact with China, India, Iran and Afghanistan.
The committee recommended that Pakistan's policy should be focused on assisting China in expanding its role in the region. The committee also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that only the foreign office should be authorised to handle the issuance of visas to foreigners.
Mian Raza Rabbani emphasised that the policies should be framed while keeping Pakistan's sovereignty at the top. After the meeting of the committee Raza Rabbani told media that the committee told Foreign Ministry that it was its responsibility to prepare visa policy while the visa should be issued after the complete verification of the foreigners. He said that this move would ensure a transparent mechanism protecting Pakistan's national interests.
Rabbani said that the committee would prepare recommendations after taking comprehensive briefing from the ministry of defence about the Pak-Us relations in its next meeting.
He said the committee believes that the relations between Pakistan and the US should be based on equality while the government should give importance to strategic dialogue with the US.
Senator Rabbani said the committee sought the drafts of anti-terrorism act and the national counter terrorism authority from the ministry of interior which would be discussed in the next meeting to be held within a week. "The committee will take briefing from the ministry in this regard," he added. Rabbani said the committee recommended that all resolutions passed by the parliament should be implemented.