July 9, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 8,1424

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ISLAMABAD, July 8: The Pakistan People’s Party on Tuesday deplored the ransacking of Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul and termed it a failure of the government’s foreign policy.

PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar, in a statement issued here, said the ransacking of the embassy was “a manifestation of the failure of Pakistan’s foreign policy.” He said the attack followed remarks of President Gen Musharraf during his foreign visit in which he said “the writ of Karzai government did not extend beyond Kabul.”

Afghan president had already expressed regrets over Gen Musharraf’s remarks terming them interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, he said.

He said President Karzai had warned against interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

“Unfortunately, Gen Musharraf has still not got over the old mindset of the security apparatus and continues to regard Afghanistan as one of his cantonments.

“ The military regime has not yet got over the ‘strategic depth syndrome’ with respect to Afghanistan,” Senator Babar said.

He said: “Pakistan under Gen Musharraf is increasingly becoming isolated in the international community.

“The central issue of Kashmir and the genuine struggle for independence of Kashmiris has been reduced to that of cross-border terrorism under Gen Musharraf.

“The Commonwealth refuses to readmit Pakistan in its fold. The unilateral announcements with respect to sending two brigades of Pakistani troops to Iraq or according recognition to Israel have isolated Pakistan in the Muslim countries and the Organization of Islamic Conference.

“Now President Karzai has publicly rebuffed Gen Musharraf and warned him against interference in Afgha-nistan’s internal affairs.

“When the foreign policy is formulated by an individual or by the security apparatus only to the exclusion of the elected parliament or the Foreign Office, then humiliating incidents like the one which happened on Tuesday in Kabul are bound to occur.

“Instead of bemoaning lack of control by Karzai government, Gen Musharraf would be well advised to ensure the writ and legitimacy of his own government,” the spokesman said.