NASA spying on Pakistan officials concerns Rehman Malik

Islamabad

Senate Committee on Interior has taken a notice of the reports that US NASA using a malware to spy Pakistan’s top civil and military officials and sought a report from the departments concerned.

“The US department was recording phone calls of top Pakistani military and civil officials and the government should have taken up this issue with the Washington,” said former Interior Minister and Chairman Senate Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik in an interview with The News/Jang here Wednesday.

The former minister said the tapping of the phone calls is attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty and the Senate committee has taken suo moto notice of it, adding its suggestions would be made public.

He said the government should take necessary action to stop the tapping of phone calls and should also summon the US ambassador to communicate Islamabad’s reservations on it. “The reservations of the people of Pakistan should also be conveyed to US secretary of state,” he added.

On love and hate relations with India, Senator Malik said the desire of good relations with India is only conveyed from Pakistan but only hate comes from India. “The hate towards Pakistan is not hidden and unfortunately since Modi took over, he did not lost any opportunity against Pakistan,” he said.

He said Modi and RAW were busy to make conspiracies against Pakistan which is evident by the statement of Indian agent Kulbhushan Yadav, who was arrested in Balochistan, and recent statement of Modi in which they supported terrorists in Balochistan.

“There were solid evidence that Indians were providing weapons to Brahamdagh Bugti and his associates through Afghanistan are used against people of Pakistan and in recent terrorist attack in Quetta,” he added.

He was of the view that cooperation of India, and Afghanistan against Pakistan has also backing of the West, who were using some of Pakistani politicians and anti-Pakistan elements to destabilise Pakistan.

Senator Malik said he was feeling proud that Pakistan Army and ISI were safeguarding Pakistan against all the attempts of anti-Pakistan elements.

He said Pakistan is currently passing through difficult times as enemies were attacking it from all sides and there should be unity in people but regretfully instead of having unity the political division is increasing which only benefits Pakistan’s enemies.

“It’s my humble appeal to all the political leadership, military leadership, media and civil society to give a strong message to our enemies that Pakistanis are united to defend ideological and territorial borders of the country,” he added.

Talking about the threats to democracy in Pakistan, Senator Malik said people of Pakistan have made a lot of sacrifices for the democracy in the country but they themselves started to say goodbye to the democracy.

He said democracy has a threat from itself in Pakistan as democratic people themselves are threat for the democracy. “It’s my point that democracy should continue in the country and flourish as Pakistan is our identity,” he added.

Senator Malik said during the PPP government no one dared talk against Pakistan as “we handled political people politically but and dealt strictly with the militants like TTP, Lashkar-e-Janghvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba or anyone else and even took a strict action against militant wing of any political party.”

On US-India relation, he said, “Terrorist in Chief Modi went for visit. There was ban on on him for travel to the US, but his name was removed specially from the list of terrorists and the way he got welcome there shows that Pakistan will be target of both.”

 He said logistic exchange memorandum of agreement between the US and India is a real threat for Pakistan and most dangerous aspect of this agreement is that both the countries will use each other’s weapons in the region and will support each other to make any action in the region. “I feel that this agreement will destabilise the region and pave the way for third world war,” he added.

Senator Malik said Pakistan has rendered sacrifices in the US war against the terror but the US is tilted towards India ignoring the sacrifices of Pakistan. “The People of Pakistan have a right to ask the United States why this discrimination with Pakistan is on as all the drone attacks were on us and the supply of weapons is for India, which is matter of concern,” he added.

He advised the government to take up this issue in the United States as it is a question of Pakistan’s national security.