Dar vows tit-for-tat NA response to US House resolution

ISLAMABAD: In what should be a tit-for-tat response, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, while calling for mutual dignity and respect from the US House of Representatives, Thursday said Pakistan would respond to the resolution through its parliament.

On the floor of the National Assembly, Dar said the government would bring a resolution in response to the resolution of the US House of Representatives. “This is our intention that we must show our sovereignty; we must show our unity and we must show that we mean business,” he said.

Ishaq Dar was responding to the points raised by the opposition members on cut motion on demands for grants for the Foreign Affairs Division (Rs536 million) and Foreign Missions (Rs8.4 billion). The house with a majority voice rejected all the 27 cut motions on these two demands for grants. Dar said Pakistan could discuss things about other countries in its parliament, but the government refrains from such policy [of interference in other countries’ internal matters]. “Mutual respect and dignity lie in their attitude that they must reciprocate what we do,” he said. He said the Pakistan government had taken notice of the resolution passed by the US House of Representatives and a draft of a resolution was ready which, he said, would be taken up after proceedings on the budget. “We must come up with a clear resolution with unity in response to the US resolution,” he said adding that a draft of the resolution would be shared with all parliamentary leaders.

The US House of Representatives, earlier this week, voted to demand a “full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities” in elections. It also condemned “any effort to subvert the political, electoral, or judicial processes of Pakistan”.

While quoting the Foreign Office statement, the foreign minister said: “The values of constitutionalism, human rights, and the rule of law in pursuance of our own national interest should be respected.” He said the government was ready to give the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis and offered the opposition to sit together for a constitutional amendment in this connection.

He said the Shehbaz Sharif government was proactively involved in the Palestine issue and the government condemned what was happening with Palestinians. He said Pakistan took a categorical stand on the plight of people of Gaza calling for a ceasefire and restoration of Al-Quds as the capital of Palestine and all efforts of Pakistan were highlighted by the international media. He said eight big consignments carrying 2,400 tons of goods were sent to Egypt and a ninth consignment would be sent to Jordan for Palestinians.

Dar said the Kashmir issue, which was not discussed at the OIC forum for many years, was raised there this time. He said it was due to the efforts of the present government, that the OIC secretary general for the first time appointed his envoy on Islamophobia. He said Pakistan has been raising its cases at every international forum, saying that the country also won a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council securing 182 votes.

Ishaq Dar said Pakistan wanted to see a strong Afghanistan, saying that the neighbouring country was on top of the foreign policy. He said he also received an invitation from Afghanistan for a visit and he accepted. He said a tripartite conference to be hosted by Doha (Qatar), where Pakistan and Afghanistan have also been invited, would be held very soon. “The prime minister has directed that every possible help should be extended to Afghanistan in the health sector, particularly for eradication of polio disease,” he said adding the opposition should be very clear and candid on this matter.

About the Pak-Iran Gas pipeline project, he admitted that obviously, other global and US sanctions are the hurdles. He said the government has put conventional foreign policy aside and promoted economic foreign policy which, he said, was the only way forward.

Earlier, speaking on cut motions, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief whip Amir Dogar called for following an independent foreign policy, saying Pakistan’s policy had also been compromised. “Sometimes we toe dictations of the United States and sometimes we follow China,” he said. He alleged that Pakistan’s foreign policy and its stance towards the plight of the people of Palestine had been very shameful.

Ali Muhammad Khan of the SIC asked Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to pursue a proactive foreign policy with a categorical stand on Palestine, Afghanistan and the Kashmir issue. He said in the last two years, no efforts were made to improve ties with the Afghan government whereas the PTI founder and then prime minister convened two OIC conferences during his tenure.

JUI-F MNA Shahida Akhtar Ali said Pakistan was facing isolation in the global community due to weak foreign policy. She also referred to a resolution passed by the US Congress, which raised questions over the election process in the country. She demanded that given the performance of the Foreign Affairs Division and foreign missions, their expenditures should be cut.