March 28, 2003	Friday	Muharram 24, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, March 27: Senators from both the treasury and opposition benches on Thursday spoke out against what they called an unjust US-British war on Iraq as the upper house began on a debate over the issue marked by calls that Pakistani government take a strong position to back Baghdad.

But their loud voices against the week-old devastating invasion seemed to be a cry in the wilderness as the allied forces, possessing the most modern weapons in history, have vowed not to halt until Baghdad falls and President Saddam Hussein is toppled.

Before the start of the opposition-requisitioned session of the 100-seat house, leaders of both the sides had agreed to put aside their controversy over presidential powers to immediately debate the Iraqi situation.

But the debate, which was later adjourned until Friday morning, was preceded by brief speeches by the representatives of opposition parties attacking the controversial Legal Framework Order (LFO) that gives sweeping powers to President Pervez Musharraf.

All opposition members came to the house wearing badges on their chests reading “LFO unacceptable”.

Opposition sources said the two sides were considering to move a joint resolution in the house to condemn the invasion of Iraq, possibly on Friday.

But parliamentary sources said the passage of the resolution will carry only a moral and political force and will have no legal implications for the government as a key Western ally in the US-led war against terrorism.

A draft of the resolution agreed by combined opposition parties — including the MMA, PPP and PML-N and their allies — condemns the invasion of Iraq, calls for a ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign forces from there.

But it was not immediately known whether the government would seek to make the draft milder although speakers from the treasury benches on Thursday were as vehement in blasting the US-British invasion as their opposition counterparts.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, fresh from a three-day visit to China, came to the house briefly amid speculation that he might speak in the debate.

But he left amidst the debate, leaving his hand-picked leader of house in the Senate, former house chairman Wasim Sajjad, to lead the treasury benches.

“It is a rain of fire and blood over the 22 million people of Iraq,” Jamaat-i-Islami deputy leader Prof Khurshid Ahmed said of what he called an “immoral and unjust war” against a country which has some of Islam’s most revered shrines.

“Truth-loving people of the whole world are angry,” he said after moving a motion for the Iraq debate that was also sponsored by PPP parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (S) leader Maulana Samiul Haq and Sanaullah Baloch from Balochistan.

Prof Khurshid said Pakistan should review its foreign policy and adopt a “positive and proactive” role in its present capacity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to block what he called American designs to impose a “new imperialism” aimed at controlling oil resources and reordering the Middle East map.

Former Information Minister Mushahid Hussain of the ruling PML-Q said Pakistan could not support what he called the “most unpopular war in the history of mankind” and said the government should review its policy options to forge closer ties with the European Union, Russia, China, Iran and Central Asian states.

“Our policy should be based neither on confrontation nor capitulation but on principles,” he said. “It should be a policy based on wisdom and boldness, not on fear.”

He said the so-called doctrine of preemption used for the invasion with the declared aim of disarming Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction would set a “dangerous precedent” that India could use against Pakistan and Israel against Iran and Syria.

“Fire has been lit and now we have to save our home,” Maulana Samiul Haq said of the war and accused US President George W. Bush of flouting international morality and the United Nations and seeking to “return humanity to the stone age”.

He said he feared Pakistan could also be a future target of a similar invasion on the pretext of its possession of nuclear weapons.

“I think this flood is moving towards Pakistan, so we should think about saving Pakistan,” he said and urged the government to call a summit of Islamic countries to consider the situation.

Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q accused UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan of being in league with the United States for pulling out UN weapons inspectors from Iraq only a day before the invasion and defended Prime Minister Jamali’s declared policy of not supporting the war.

He said the war was actually meant for economic interests, particularly to control oil resources, and voiced his fears that Pakistan could be a target of such an attack.

“If this process goes on who knows whose turn comes next. This is a different matter whether it will be North Korea, Iran or Pakistan but surely turns are fixed somewhere,” he said.