Aziz asked to respond to US lawmakers’ remarks

Senate chairman says Pakistani MPs cannot ignore such attacks

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on Saturday invited Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to issue a statement in the upcoming session of the upper house of parliament about the recent remarks of certain members of the US Congress.

“Such callous remarks on various occasions by US lawmakers has become a routine,” said Rabbani in his letter to the adviser on foreign affairs. Pakistan’s parliament “cannot play the role of a silent bystander to such attacks on our integrity, sovereignty and national security”, he said.



The Senate chairman had earlier conveyed his displeasure over the remarks of US lawmakers and expressed the hope that saner elements in the US Congress would take notice of such “irresponsible statements”.



Rabbani was responding to a US congressional panel which called for cutting off all US assistance to Pakistan, compelling Islamabad to act against Afghan Taliban groups allegedly using its territory for launching operations into Afghanistan.



The Senate chairman alleged that such sentiments also demonstrated a marked lack of respect and recognition of the tremendous contribution made by the Pakistani people and its armed forces in the fight against terrorism.

Some US lawmakers and witnesses appearing before the Congress also suggested declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism and imposing economic sanctions if Islamabad did not eliminate alleged terrorist safe havens on its territory.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.