12 July 2004	Monday	23 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, July 11: Pakistan Muslim League Secretary-General Mushahid Hussain Sayed said on Sunday that "president's army uniform would remain a non-issue before Dec 31."

He was responding to a question during a press briefing at PML House after the release of a Senate committee on foreign affairs' report. He said PML party election would be held soon and the Election Commission would be informed accordingly.

Mushahid Hussain, who is the chairman of the Senate committee, said the report pertained to its meeting with a British House of Commons team, led by Donald Anderson, on 'Global and regional scenario in the aftermath of 9/ll'. The British committee was on a fact finding mission about democracy in Muslim states.

According to the report, the standing committee made it clear on the House of Commons members that use of army anywhere in the world should be mandated by the United Nations and that the democratic rights of Muslims should be given due significance.

The committee raised the issue of maltreatment of prisoners of war in Iraq and bloodshed of Muslims in Bosnia, Kashmir, Palestine and other areas. It impressed upon the British MPs that the people of those territories must be afforded their right to self-rule in accordance with UN resolutions.

It recommended improvement in the role of the Organization of Islamic Conference in resolving international issues related to Muslims. During discussion on the attack on Iraq, Senator S.M. Zafar asked the House of Commons committee to define terrorism and explain what was meant by "Pakistan should do more".

In response, the British team's members admitted that the war on terror was open-ended and not 'winable' and that there were differences over Iraq between the Europeans and the United States.

The British committee said: "Had the British House of Commons known on March 18, 2003, that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that quite substantial elements of the WMD dossier were not valid, there is no possibility that Prime Minister Tony Blair would have got a vote in support of the invasion of Iraq."

The committee agreed that "a distinction has to be found between a person who is asking for his fundamental right of self-governance and a terrorist."The British MPs also expressed their anxiety over the apparent US walk away from the peace road map during recent meeting between Israel leader Aerial Sharon and President George Bush.

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