A debate on new terms of engagement with the US was further delayed on Tuesday due to the persistent deadlock following some tough conditions by the opposition. It demanded a redraft of the report presented by Parliamentary Committee on National Security.
The joint session, which was yet to initiate a debate on the report presented before the parliament Tuesday last, could not take up the matter even after a lapse of almost a week. Leader of opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, refused to initiate a formal debate on the report. He opted to raise his concerns on a point of order and said that there were some basic mistakes which needed to be corrected through a redraft of PCNS report.
He said although the report also contained some good recommendations, that the opposition would not become part of the discussion until its reservations were redressed. He also made it clear that only the government and its allies would be responsible of the consequences if any resolution that was passed without taking the opposition into confidence.
He said the opposition had serious concerns over some points, particularly the re-opening of Nato supply route in the absence of any 'guarantee' to stop drone strikes and revisit of two MoUs without sharing details with the parliament. He argued that most of the proposals were not enforceable owing to their inter-connectivity with each other and the opposition would not allow the government to implement the recommendations on the basis of 'pick and choose'. "We would not like to commit another mistake," he said, adding that the opposition had witnessed the fate of the previous unanimous resolutions of the parliament, which were yet to be implemented.
He wanted to know whether the entire report consisting of six clauses was enforceable as a package or mere enunciation of principles, adding that the opposition was not ready to listen to the government at the end of the day that up to 40 or 50 percent implementation had been carried out on the recommendations.
He said the opposition subscribed to the basic objective of the report which was to safeguard independence and sovereignty of the country, but there were some clauses that negated that very objective. "How will the government implement the recommendations on an end to drone attacks?" he questioned, adding "if you have to ensure Pakistan's sovereignty and solidarity, a complete enforcement of the proposals is a must."
Nisar said a recommendation that says 'no overt or covert operation inside Pakistan shall be tolerated', was an indirect clash with two other recommendations that said the 'activities of foreign contractors must be transparent and that prior permission and transparency on the number and presence of foreign intelligence operatives in Pakistan..."
"This means we are going to legalise the presence of foreign intelligence operatives in Pakistan which no country can afford...no sovereign country of the world allows spy agencies of any other country to operate inside its soil," he maintained. He also doubted the implemented prospects of report's proposal that those held responsible for Mohmand attack should be brought to justice. He pointed out that the US report had absolved its troops and instead put blame on Pakistani troops. "I'm wondering how this recommendation is going to be implemented," he asked.
Mian Raza Rabbani, PCNS chairman, while responding to opposition parties' concerns, said the government and the committee were ready to sit with the opposition to determine a strategy to ensure implementation or parliamentary oversight of the recommendations of the parliament.
He said the report had been prepared by the committee where all parties were represented. But those recommendations were now before the parliament and it was for the House to accept or reject them. He, however, expressed the view that the recommendations were broad policy guidelines that would serve as parameters for policymaking in future and the government would have to work within those parameters.
He clarified that those were the recommendations of a parliamentary panel and not of the government, adding that he had refused to share the recommendations even with the President and the Prime Minister because those could not be divulged to anyone before their presentation before the parliament.
Rabbani categorically stated that drone attacks were violation of the country's sovereignty and could not be allowed. He said the parliament would ensure that the recommendations not only reflected the sentiment of the House but also of the people on the streets "who are the real sovereign." Earlier, while seconding the arguments of opposition leader in National Assembly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman warned against any move that could lead to restoration of Nato supply routes.
"You may succeed in passing the resolution from the parliament on the basis of majority by passing the opposition...but I swear we will not let you implement it on the ground," he declared. He said he was saddened by a proposal that the restoration of Nato supplies should be subject to a apology by the US. "This shows as if we are eager to restore the supplies..." According to him, the government has already taken a decision and it now only wants the parliament to second it.
"Why the US wants restoration of supplies when peace process is under way and they are preparing to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan," he questioned. He feared that weapons being amassed in Afghanistan could pose threats to the region in post-withdrawal period and could be used against Iran or even Pakistan.