Ruling coalition's decision: Parliament to decide about opening Nato supply route

The ruling coalition on Wednesday decided that the Parliament would take final decision whether or not the Nato supply route would be opened. Sources said that the decision was taken at a high level meeting which was also attended by leaders of the coalition parties held here at Aiwan-e-Sadr with President Asif Ali Zardari in the chair.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, DG ISI Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jillani and Ex-Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir were present during the meeting.
Leaders of the coalition parties including Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Asfandyar Wali Khan, Dr Farooq Sattar, Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri, Munir Khan Orakzai, and Engr Shaukatullah also attended the meeting. Sources said that Nato supply and departure of foreign troops from Afghanistan were also discussed during the meeting.
They said that the meeting decided to present the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security in the joint session of the Parliament for approval. The recommendations of the Committee may pave the way for the government to reopen the Nato supply route after getting assurances from the US that 26/11 attacks will not be repeated by coalition forces stationed in Afghanistan, they added.
The sources said that the committee had made 35 recommendations, which mainly call for having good relations with the US, but at the same time, also stressed on the need of strengthening relations with Russia, China, EU and Muslim countries. They added that the committee, mandated to review terms of engagement with the US after the border attacks, had also asked the government to pursue its demand for a civil nuclear deal.
It called upon the US to provide assurance that there would be no Salala-like incident in future and reimburse at the earliest all the pending Coalition Support Fund claims. The sources said that the government may introduce new conditions, including a tax on the Nato cargo transported through Pakistan, before taking decision on the resumption of the route suspended after the November last year's attacks in Mohamand agency.
The government had reacted to the border incident by closing down the crucial supply route and asking the US to vacate the Shamsi airbase, which was once used for drone attacks. The airbase was vacated within the given deadline. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai during his one-day visit last month (February) for trilateral summit had urged Pakistan to resume Nato supplies, and suggested higher levy be charged as it will benefit both Pakistan and Afghanistan.