Nawaz links resumption of Nato supplies to deportation of 'American contractors'

Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Mian Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that if Nato supplies were resumed, then drone attack should be stopped. He was addressing a gathering in which former provincial president of PML-Q Amir Muqam announced to join the PML-N.
Criticising the government, he said that the government had failed to deliver over the past four years, saying that the country was facing numerous internal and external challenges because of the rulers' wrong policies. Amir Muqam expressed confidence in the leadership of Mr Sharif. The party central leader Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, provincial president Pir Sabir Shah, general secretary, Rahmat Salam, and a large number of activists and Amir Muqam's supporters were also present on the occasion.
The PML-N chief said that if the government restored goods' supply for Nato, it would have to ensure deporting of American contractors, besides stopping drone attacks in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas. He insisted that if the supply was restored, the rulers would also have to stop giving air bases to foreign troops and trucks would supply only eatable items. "The Parliamentary Committee for National Security is already working on the issue and my party has given its opinion," he said, adding that his party would not support the resumption of Nato supplies unless these conditions were met.
He said that the United States should also use its influence for the solution of the Kashmir issue, insisting that bloodshed of innocent people should stop in Indian-occupied territory. Condemning the US government for announcing a bounty for Hafiz Saeed, he said that US-Pakistan relations could not improve unless Washington stopped what he termed duplicitous policies. "Meetings of the national security committees will be an exercise in futility if the US did not change its policy about Pakistan," he said.
Berating the government and terming its policies complete failures, he said that the rulers would have to modify the country's foreign policy and stop compromising on national security issues and sovereignty, otherwise development and peace in the country will remain only a pipe dream.
The rulers, he said, were concentrating on just corruption, destruction of national organisations like PIA and Pakistan Railways, adding that the government's faulty polices had worsened energy crisis. Criticising the role of military dictators, he said that they always attempted to destroy political parties, encouraged non-party elections, promoted sectarian violence and as a result, political workers remained deprived while only a few families secure more powers everywhere in the country.
"Former military dictators are responsible for the country's disintegration. They always toppled elected governments and empowered non-elected people at the cost of national interests and exchequer," he said. Referring to the performance of the ruling alliance over the past four years, he said that while they failed to overcome energy crisis, terrorism, sectarianism and financial crisis, they focused on just accumulation of wealth.
"The country will have never faced the existing financial and law and order issues if the PML-N government had not been removed in 1999. It had got majority and was in position to complete its planned motorways via Peshawar to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries," he claimed. He also asserted that his party would emerge the largest ever party in the next elections and said that his party would bring reforms in defence, foreign and economic policies.
Nawaz said he was not allowed to participate in the funeral his father. He said he prayed for the father of President Zardari that Allah rest his soul in peace. Earlier, former provincial president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Engineer Amir Muqam formally announced merger of his party in PML-N in the presence of Nawaz Sharif and senior leaders of both parties.