Pak parliament's rejection of war-on terror may hurt ties with US

Islamabad, Oct 24 : In a resolution overwhelmingly passed by the Pakistani Parliament late on Wednesday night, the lawmakers expressed serious doubts over Islamabad's continued commitment to America's military campaign against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban on Pakistani soil.

Though the resolution adopted is not binding on the Government even though it was a party to it, it might result in hampering Pakistan's ties with the US.

Most of the parliamentarians called for dialogue with extremist groups and an end to US' military action.

The resolution also demanded the abandonment of the use of force against extremists, in favour of negotiation, in "an urgent review of our national security strategy". "Dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a principal instrument of conflict management and resolution. The military will be replaced as early as possible by civilian law enforcement agencies," The Guardian quoted the resolution as saying.

It also said Pakistan would pursue "an independent foreign policy" and, in a pointed reference to US military incursions into Pakistani territory, proclaimed that "the nation stands united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland, and calls upon the government to deal with it effectively".

Since the beginning of September, there have been about a dozen US missile strikes inside Pakistan and a ground assault, thereby fanning widespread anti-Americanism in the country.

In the fierce debate in parliament most parliamentarians said that Pakistan was paying "an unacceptable price for fighting America's war".

According to the paper, if implemented by the government, the new strategy might bring under severe strain support for Pakistan from international allies, and might also cause further instability to a country facing a spiral of violence and economic collapse.

Raza Rabbani, a leading member of the ruling PPP, said: "We need to prioritise our own national security interests. As far as the US is concerned, the message that has gone with this resolution will definitely ring alarm bells, vis-a-vis their policy of bulldozing Pakistan."

Past attempts by Pakistan at making peace with militant groups in the tribal area have allowed them to regroup and led to a sharp increase in cross-border attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

ANI