Senate for 'regional diplomatic offensive'

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously adopted a report of Senate Committee of the Whole, recommending the government to launch a regional diplomatic offensive to respond to the US President Donald Trump's new Afghan policy, which takes a dim view of Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts. "A regional diplomatic initiative should be taken to co-ordinate Pakistan's response to Trump's Afghan strategy in consultation with friendly countries to tell Americans that Pakistan's perspective has a resonance regionally as well as globally, particularly at the upcoming UNGA session," said the report.
The entire house, which converted itself into a Whole Committee, devised the recommendations based on policy guidelines proposed by a six-member subcommittee. Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani said that the house has come up with the recommendations after discussions with defense and interior ministries. After the recommendations were adopted, Rabbani ordered that the recommendations also be forwarded to all Pakistani embassies around the world. The recommendations were also sent to the National Assembly.
"It has been proven yet again that the Senate comes together proactively when it comes to matters of national security. The proposed enhanced role of India in Afghanistan would only accentuate the instability not only in Afghanistan but also in the broader region," he maintained. Rabbani remarked that the matter would remain under constant review of the Senate, given its evolving nature, and the guidelines/response would further shape up in the wake of emerging situation and developments.
He said that adoption of the unanimous policy guidelines reflected that parliament is responsive when ever crisis like situation exists, adding all the stakeholders including Foreign Office and Ministry of Defense were taken on board to finalize the response and added that these consultations should continue under the umbrella of the parliament. PTI Senator Azam Swati said that Pakistan's Ambassador to US Aizaz Chaudhry should be immediately called back and sacked for his failure to portray Pakistan's viewpoint effectively before the US.
PPP's Senator Taj Haider stressed the need for evolving the mechanism to oversee the implementation of policy guidelines. Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the recommendation about setting up a mutually verifiable mechanism to look into allegations of cross-border incursions by militants between Pakistan and Afghanistan should be recommended. He stressed the need for implementing it urgently and honestly to put to rest mutual acrimony on this score.
The report suggests three immediate steps that should be taken by Pakistan's Foreign Office. It also says that Pakistan's viewpoint should not only be conveyed to friendly countries, but also to the allies of the US. The Senate has recommended the government to prepare a fact sheet on American assistance to Pakistan to clear the air on how much reimbursements have actually been received under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). "The fact sheet should also take account of US failure to supply military hardware and aid on one pretext or the other and the losses incurred by Pakistan since the US war in Afghanistan," it added.
It proposed that the Foreign Office should summon the US ambassador and convey Pakistan's concerns, highlighted in the Senate, regarding Trump's new policy. A fact sheet of Pakistan's contributions in the war against terror should be presented to the US when the foreign minister visits the country. The house also appreciated postponement of Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif's visit to US on the recommendations of the Senate. A fact sheet of the US's assistance to Pakistan should be immediately released, portraying the post 9/11 scenario as to how much assistance has been provided for the Coalition Support Funds, which are in fact reimbursements to Pakistan.
While discussing steps that need to be taken by Pakistan, the Senate committee recommended that a national policy paper should be created while keeping all stakeholders in mind "to serve as a reference document for US policymakers." "Pakistan should form a South Asia strategy that should be comprehensive," the report recommends. The document also wants the security establishment to take note of the US plan to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan and maintain their presence for an indefinite period.
Regarding Pakistan's policy about Afghanistan, the document suggests that Pakistan should emphasize that no territory should be used against a neighboring state and call for a focus on border management and security along the border. The document also stresses the need for a mutually acceptable verification mechanism to look into acrimonious allegations of cross-border violations that emanate from both Kabul and Islamabad.
The document also wants the government to effectively highlight Indian interference in Pakistan and turn the spotlight on militants like Molvi Fazlullah and others, who are hiding in Afghanistan and operating against Pakistan. Similar allegations by Afghanistan need to be looked into more closely, the report added. On Afghanistan, the report stated that Pakistan should emphasize that the territory of no state can be used for causing terrorist activities in any other state and it should particularly refer to TTP hideouts and sanctuaries in Afghanistan which operate freely.
"Pakistan should focus on its attempts on border management and security all along 2600-km Pak-Afghan border, where some parts of the porous border are being fenced. If US President Trump can order fencing of the border with Mexico to ostensibly protect the US commerce, there is a far greater urgency to fence the Pak-Afghan border given the history of the region. Pakistan should maintain its principled stand that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan," it added.
In this regard, Pakistan should reiterate the primacy of pursuing a politically negotiated settlement with the Afghan government in the lead, it said, adding Pakistan would be willing to contribute in the shared objective of exterminating all forms of terrorism.
It proposed that Pakistan needs to present a clear dossier on India's cross-border terrorism with names, dates and unimpeachable evidence, including the spy Kulbhushan Jadhav case to focus on Indian actions to destabilize Pakistan, particularly using territory of Afghanistan, and such a dossier be presented to selected western capitals, especially Brussels, and the UN headquarters.