NA proceedings: Debate ends without motion condemning drone attacks

Nisar says govt will wait 4-6 weeks before restarting dialogue with Taliban.

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly debate on drones concluded on Monday amid fierce denunciation of the US drone attack that killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud. Yet there was little sign of agreement on any conclusive plan to seek an end to the drone campaign.

Unlike before, the six-day long debate on the drone strike that “scuttled” the peace process, ended without even a resolution demanding a halt to US drone attacks.

Wrapping up the debate, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said: “It would be naive to think of a peace process when drone attacks are taking place and there cannot be any progress.”

Expressing his government’s resolve to continue to pursue the peace process, Nisar added that there was consensus that the dialogue process should continue and that drone attacks should stop at any cost.

“Pakistan cannot afford difference of opinion at this juncture,” he said, calling for all political forces to be on the same page at this critical hour.



Apparently successful at pacifying opposition benches after his meetings with parliamentary leaders of various parties, the interior minister said that the government would continue to pursue the dialogue process but it would have to wait for at least four to six weeks.

Opposition benches had been demanding a policy statement from none other than the prime minister, who once again did not attend the National Assembly session despite the threat of an opposition boycott of proceedings.

Talking about the prospects of continuing the dialogue process, Nisar said “our contact with the other side [with the Taliban] is disconnected after the drone attack but there are several people on the other side who think positively and know that neither the government nor the army was behind the drone attack.”

Highlighting the army’s role in the peace process, Nisar recounted that the army had to control the situation arising from the indiscriminate death of General Niazi.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan endorsed Nisar’s views that there was no quick fix for the war. “I was of the opinion that we would stand united after the drone attack,” said Imran after expressing his disappointment at the prime minister for not taking a stand against US drone strikes and ignoring the issue during his visit to Washington.

Calling upon all political parties to join PTI in blocking Nato supply routes on November 20, Imran said “we do not want to go in to war with the US.” Sheikh Rasheed of Awami Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami announced their support for PTI.

“What is the guarantee that there would not be drone attack if peace process is resumed?” asked Imran while talking about the way forward. The nation should exhibit its unity in such a way that US is forced to stop the drone attacks, he added.

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, however, candidly said that “stopping drone attacks is something beyond our capacity.” He said Pakistan, US and Afghanistan should sit together for a solution. Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI-F once again criticised the PTI’s decision of blocking the Nato supply, saying that the country must stand united and parties must avoid solo flights.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2013.