Pakistan has no record of verbal accords with US: Rabbani

WASIM IQBAL

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan inked around about 9 agreements with the US, Nato and Isaf during the tenure of the previous governments but the present government signed no agreement, Ministry of Defence told Parliamentary Committee on National Security on Thursday.

Senator Mian Raza Rabbani chaired the meeting of the National Security committee. At the conclusion of the meeting, Raza told the media persons that the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence informed the committee that the country had signed agreements.   He maintained the committee sought the details of these pacts so that they could examine the text and suggest if necessary, some amendments to the government. He said the Defence Ministry had signed about nine agreements with the US, Nato and Isaf during the tenure of previous governments.

He further said that the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence informed the committee that there was no verbal agreement with US, NATO or ISAF. He said: "The Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence informed the parliamentarians that there is no record of any verbal agreement." Raza said the committee had called a separate meeting on Ministry of Defence's agreements with US, Nato and Isaf. This meeting would be held on Dec 24, he added.

He further said that the Foreign Office also briefed the parliamentarians regarding the recommendations approved in as two-day Ambassadors' Conference held in the Foreign Office and attended by around 15 Ambassador posted in US, European countries, Afghanistan and India. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabani Khar informed the members of committee about the recommendations made at envoys' conference on new rules of engagements with the US, Nato and Isaf.

Raza said envoys' recommendations would be treated as a working paper and members of the committee would finalize their recommendations in the light of that working paper. He added the final recommendations of the committee would be taken to the parliament for vetting.

The committee deliberated upon two agendas in hand: The situation arising out of Nov 26, Nato air strike in Mohmand Agency and investigation into the memo purportedly written and sent by Mansoor Ijaz.

On the issue of the controversial memo, Raza said National Security Committee reviewed the details provided by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence. These would be further discussed in the next meeting to be held on Dec 21.

To a question, he said suspension of $700 million aid to Pakistan by the US Congress committee was unjust. It was the amount Pak military spent in war against terror as a frontline ally of Isaf. Earlier, talking to media persons in parliament building, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan had two written agreements with the United States, Nato and Isaf.

She said that Pakistan's relations with US were 'on hold' and would move forward if Parliament allows it. Recommendations made during the envoys' conference had been sent to the parliamentary committee with details of the two agreements. One agreement is an MoU on defence cooperation while the other is on Nato's supply lines, according to her.

She stressed that future relations with the US would be "clear not confusing". To a question about the influence of the US, she said the superpower along with 42 other countries was given an extra space in Pakistan. "We must take decision very carefully while dealing with the US as they are present in Afghanistan," she added.