Opposition lawmakers in Senate accuse government of pursuing Musharraf's era policies

The opposition lawmakers in Senate on Tuesday said that incumbent government is pursuing the policies of former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf (retd), which reflects from the Foreign Minister's statement who admitted of committing to the US of action if details of terrorist havens in the country were provided. Taking part in a debate on recent visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to South Asia in wake of the new US policy, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that he was shocked that Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif only reiterated the narrative of General Musharraf (retd).
He said that the way forward for Pakistan is to dismantle the Jihadis' infrastructure of the 1980s, dissociate itself from the narrative of General Musharraf (retd) and civilianize foreign policy formulation instead of viewing it from the perspective of security establishment alone.
"Musharraf used to confront foreign interlocutors by asking them to provide him phone numbers and addresses of the Afghan Taliban hiding in Pakistan and he will go after them and this is what the incumbent government is doing," he added.
He recalled that Asif also informed the Senate that the visiting US Secretary of State had been asked to give the addresses of Taliban leaders for the government to take action, which shows that Musharraf's policy of denial continues.
He said that many had welcomed recent statements by Khawaja Asif and Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal regarding "putting our own house in order" and asked why there was not a hint about it in his address, adding if this is not confession that civilian government is not fully in-charge of policy formulation.
He advised Asif to simply pursue investigations in the identity card and passport issued to Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor Akhtar and pieces in the jigsaw puzzle may fall in their place, adding these are things due to which Pakistan is losing heavily.
Senator Babar said that after Trump's new policy, drone strikes have resumed as militants are hiding and changing locations, while Taliban have intensified attacks inside Afghanistan. "There are contradictions in our [foreign] policy. On the one hand, we deny safe sanctuaries and on the other we say that we do not want to bring Afghan war to our territory. If there indeed are no sanctuaries, how the war will enter into Pakistan," he questioned.
Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) said that Soviet war left behind a vacuum of power, which was filled by Taliban fugitives. He regretted that the then military regime committed to the US proxy war in Afghanistan on the threatening phone call from the US and this still haunts Pakistan, adding that 'do more' rhetoric of Donald Trump is nothing but to contain China by appointing India as policeman of the region, which is in no way acceptable.
He also proposed if the US is serious about Afghan peace, it has no option but to go for a political solution instead of military might by taking Pakistan, Iran, China, and Turkey onboard which is the only solution to bring lasting peace in the war-torn country.
Senator Seher Kamran of PPP said that Foreign Minister Asif had recently claimed that the US is keen to play its due role in normalizing Pakistan-India relations which, according to her, could only be possible if India is pressured for resolution of longstanding dispute of Kashmir issue. Senator Azam Khan Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that joining the so-called war against terror under pressure from the US was the biggest blunder ever committed by Pakistan, adding Pakistan must not make such blunder by becoming part of the US proxy war for the third time.
Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani made a quick observation and said that there existed no Parliament of democratically elected people when the decision to join the US war against terrorism was taken by a military dictator.
Swati said that the Parliament has made crystal clear to the US that it would not become part of any other proxy war, adding, "The response from both civilian and military leadership that the country no more needs any weapon or economic assistance should be enough for the US that we cannot fight war of anyone else." Senator Colonel Syed Tahir Mashhadi (retd) of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said that the US is in predicament as it could not face its people after humiliating defeat in Afghanistan.
"This is the reason, it is bent upon making Pakistan a scapegoat to take the blame of US failure," he said, adding the US's wishful thinking is simply to appoint notorious India a policeman of the region; this desire of US is doomed to fail as Pakistan is not going to succumb to any pressure on this unjustified desire of the US.
Senator Nasrin Jalil of MQM-P said that the narrative conveyed to the US was long due, as Pakistan will not become part of any proxy war which is not in the interest of the country. Senator Taj Haider of PPP said that the narrative which Khawaja Asif conveyed to the US has been the major demand of PPP for the last 50 years, adding what Donald Trump is doing is simply a continuation of 60 years old US policy, which serves its national interest.
"The US troops are stationed in over 80 counties world over, and the US does not want peace anywhere in the region. The US has been using the religious fundamentalists - right from Taliban to militant outfits in Middle East; it is exploiting the religious extremists for its own vested interest," he added.
Senator Usman Khan Kakar of PkMAP said that the flawed foreign policy has isolated the country which needs to be revisited, adding it is need of the hour to prioritize relations with Iran and Afghanistan or else the situation will get worse.
He said that majority of the military generals, bureaucrats and politicians are US green card holders, adding if they are serious about not serving what the US is asking them to do, they should first give up their US citizenships.