The Parliamentary Committee on National Security has condemned the US Drone attacks in tribal areas and asked the new US administration to revisit its strategy. This was stated by committee chairman Mian Raza Rabbani here on Tuesday after the meeting at the Parliament House.
He said that committee could not take any action on its own. It will send its recommendations to the government to implement the resolution passed by joint sitting of the parliament after the in-camera briefing by the army and ISI. Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Hyder Abbas Rizvi, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, Professor Khurshid Ahmed and Abdul Rehman Mandokhel attended the meeting. However, the ANP central president Asfandyar Wali Khan, who is also member of the committee, could not attend the meeting due to some illness, according to Rabbani.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, Rabbani said that the committee had taken serious exception of the recent US Drone attacks on Pakistani tribal areas. All the committee members hoped that international community, particularly the United States would respect the joint resolution of the Parliament on the national security issue", said Rabbani.
The committee, he said, hoped that the new US administration led by President Barack Obama would honour the demand of our people and stop aerial incursions into this side of western border. He said that in opening speech after taking oath, Obama himself admitted to mistakes committed by the previous US government. "We are optimistic about Obama, however, if the new administration fails to stop the attacks then the committee would consider other new options. The democratic government cannot tolerate the violation of our airspace," said the minister.