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Senate Approves House Committee Report on US Policy

Islamabad (August 30, 2017): Senate approved the report of Committee of the House over US President Donald Trump’s new policy for Afghanistan and South Asia and his threats to Pakistan.

According to the details, the Senate on Monday unanimously passed a motion recommending that the government launch a regional diplomatic initiative to coordinate responses to US President Donald Trump’s new Afghan policy, which takes a dim view of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts. The Upper House of the Parliament met there today with Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani in the Chair.

The entire house, which converted itself into a Whole Committee, devised the recommendations based on policy guidelines proposed by a six-member subcommittee. The Senate chairman said that the house had come up with the recommendations after discussions with the Ministries of Defense and Interior.The report of the Committee of the Whole House on Guidelines for Pak-US Relations was presented in the house by Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq.

The report termed US President Donald Trump’s Afghan strategy as one sided by putting the entire onus on Pakistan for the failure of US policy in Afghanistan.It said that US was itself responsible for its failures in Afghanistan.

The report said Pakistan’s perspective has been ignored despite the ground realities of its sacrifices in the war on terror.

It said Islamabad’s legitimate concerns regarding expanding ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan used as sanctuaries and safe havens for orchestrating terrorist attack inside Pakistan have been completely ignored.The House adopted a report of the committee of the whole containing initial response to the US President’s Afghan-South Asia policy statement.

The report has been prepared after meeting of the committee of the whole that met over the last two days to prepare policy guidelines in light of the emerging regional realities and role of the United States.

After the recommendations were accepted, the Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani ordered that the recommendations also be forwarded to all Pakistani embassies around the world. The recommendations were also sent to the National Assembly.

“It has been proven yet again that the Senate comes together proactively when it comes to matters of national security,” he observed.The document, a copy of which is available suggests three immediate steps that should be taken by Pakistan’s Foreign Office. It also says that Pakistan’s viewpoint should not only be conveyed to friendly countries, but also to the allies of the United States.

The US ambassador should be called to the Foreign Office and informed about parliamentary proceedings on the issue, the document further suggests.

The Senate has recommended that the government prepare a fact sheet on American assistance to Pakistan in order to clear the air on how much reimbursements have actually been received under the Coalition Support Fund.The fact sheet should also take account of US failure to supply military hardware and aid on one pretext or the other and the losses incurred by Pakistan since the US war in Afghanistan, the document states.

Suggestions for immediate steps

The Foreign Office should summon the US ambassador and convey Pakistan’s concerns, highlighted in Senate, regarding Trump’s new policy.

A fact sheet of Pakistan’s contributions in the ‘war against terror’ should be presented to the US when the foreign minister visits the country.A fact sheet of the US’s assistance to Pakistan should be immediately released, “portraying the post 9/11 scenario as to how much assistance has been provided for the Coalition Support Funds, which are in fact reimbursements to Pakistan.”

Steps to be taken by Pakistan

While discussing steps that need to be taken by Pakistan, the Senate’s recommendations suggest that a national policy paper should be created while keeping all stakeholders in mind, “to serve as a [reference] document for US policymakers.”

It has also been suggested that a “regional diplomatic initiative” should be launched so that Pakistan’s response to the US’s Afghan policy can be presented after “consultation with friendly countries.”

“Pakistan should form a South Asia strategy that should be comprehensive,” the document recommends.Recommendations for security establishment

The document also wants the security establishment to take note of the United States’ plan to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan and maintain their presence for an indefinite period.

Regarding Pakistan’s policy about Afghanistan, the document suggests that Pakistan should emphasise that no territory should be used against a neighbouring state and call for a focus on border management and security along the border.The document also stresses the need for a mutually acceptable verification mechanism to look into acrimonious allegations of cross-border violations that emanate from both Kabul and Islamabad.

The document also wants the government to effectively highlight Indian interference in Pakistan and turn the spotlight on militants like Moulvi Fazlullah and others, who are hiding in Afghanistan and operating against Pakistan.

Similar allegations by Afghanistan need to be looked into more closely, the document states.

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