Pakistan had no enmity with Soviet Union: Khawaja Asif

Govt should utilise provincial, federal resources in ex-FATA's rehabilitation, says PML-N leader

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif on Friday condemned Pakistan's role in the 1979 Afghan War and maintained that the nation had no enmity with the erstwhile Soviet Union.

"We don't even know why we refer to it as jihad," commented Asif while addressing the lower house.

Keeping the wartorn state of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) in view, the PML-N veteran said that the government should utilise its maximum provincial and federal resources for the rehabilitation of the tribal districts.



"The people of Fata were on the frontlines in the war against terrorism," he said, adding that the nation needs to work night and day to erase the 'dastardly' history.

"Peace had indeed been restored in the tribal belt," the former foreign minister told the National Assembly, accrediting the Pakistan Army for its sacrifices in the operation.

Asif acknowledged that there were no cross-border incursions and drone attacks occurring any longer and that the fault lines had been contained. "Pakistan decided to create a fence along the Durand Line for purposes of strengthening security," he continued.

Indo-Pak tensions

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the lower house that Pakistan had released 360 Indian fishermen in the month of April alone as a peace gesture.

"India wants provocation while Pakistan wants de-escalation," Qureshi added. He further welcomed dialogue between the two arch-rival nations and stated that the Foreign Ministry was keen on improving relations with the eastern neighbour.

"Pakistan has actively been taking up the issue of releasing their prisoners languishing in Indian jails," Qureshi apprised the session, stating the matter was a 'humanitarian' issue.

Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas told the NA that 585 Pakistani prisoners including 210 fishermen were suffering in Indian jails. She further said that India will release four Pakistani fishermen on Tuesday.