Talks with Taliban: government must take US on board, Achakzai tells National Assembly

Chief of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai has stressed that the government should take the US on board while initiating dialogue with Taliban to restore peace in the region.
"The USA must suspend drone attacks on Pakistan's soil till the negotiation comes to a logical end. Amnesty should be given to foreign militant groups ---Chechen, Uzbek and others and they shall be handed over to their countries. Assurance of peace must be taken from the people of Fata. The government shall devise a mechanism to resolve the matter after withdrawal of US troops from the Afghanistan," Achakzai expressed these views on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday.
Pakistan should respect the sovereignty of neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan and India in return they would also respect the sovereignty of our country, he said. Pakistan must stop intervention in Afghanistan, as it is a realty that the country is intervening in the neighbouring country's affairs since many decades, he said.
Achakzai warned that the world has taken hostile posture against Pakistan due to increasing militancy in the country. China showed annoyance and Iran is also secretly complaining to Pakistan against cross boarder infiltration. Acknowledging the capability of secret agencies, he said "they are competent of searching a needle from contaminated water then why they are not making any concrete move on increasing the militancy in the country".
"I am a supporter of peace in the country as well as in the region and strongly recommend that our agencies should dismantle civil militant group. If the parliament fails in controlling the establishment, I will not sit here and resign from the house in protest", he said.
Chief of Quami Watan Party Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao acknowledging the views of Achakzai regarding devising a strategy to restore peace in the region, said that there is need to establish relationship with Afghanistan on the basis of equality. It is need of the hour to chalk out a national security plan with the consensus of all political stakeholders, he added.
Negating the traditional pattern of high level meetings on national security, he proposed that no in camera meeting to be convened so that everyone must know about the suggestions of the participants of the meeting. Pakistan should adopt a comprehensive policy on the pretext of exile of foreign troops from Afghanistan. He urged the prime minister to visit Afghanistan to strengthen relationship with the neighbouring county, adding that the PM may also invite Afghanistan leadership to Pakistan.
The parliament should review its policy to control terrorism and must devise a concrete strategy which could be implemented. Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly, Syed Khurshid Shah while assuring the government full co-operation to eliminate terrorism from the country ,said "We will not politicise the issue and extend full cooperation to eliminate terrorism but it is the responsibility of the interior minister not to conceal anything and share the whole information with the House."
He said Quetta and Ziarat incidents were not due to incompetence of the government while it was the continuity of the terrorist incidents taking place in the past. He said it was the desire of the whole nation to restore peace in the Balochistan. MNA from Jamaat-e-Islami Zubaida Tariq said "we condemn terrorist acts in Balochistan and assured full support to the government to eradicate terrorism from the country."