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| May 27, 2005 | Friday | Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1426 |
Rocca meets speaker, parliamentarians: Fair polls only way out: Rabbani
ISLAMABAD, May 26: US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca on Thursday held separate meetings with parliamentarians and discussed with them different facets of bilateral relations and cooperation between the democratic institutions of the two countries.
During meetings with the National Assembly speaker, Senate chairman and heads of parliamentary groups at the Parliament House, she discussed ways and means to promote bilateral cooperation in all spheres.
The NA speaker said Pakistan abhorred terrorism in all forms and manifestations. He apprised Ms Rocca of the functioning of the country’s democratic institutions. He said the press in the country was free and rights of the minorities were secured under the constitution. There was a ‘vociferous opposition’ which was an important stakeholder in the parliamentary process, he stressed.
Talking about the country’s economic progress, he said a policy of sustained economic growth was being pursued through industrialization and promotion of the agro-based economy.
Referring to the Pakistan-India dialogue, the NA speaker said that a composite dialogue was under way for finding a just and durable solution of all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute.
Ms Rocca acknowledged Pakistan’s role in establishing peace and stability in the region and said the United States wished “to build long-term, multi-faceted strong relations with Pakistan”.
The parliamentarians in their meeting with the US official said the US and West should “put their weight behind the composite dialogue and help India and Pakistan resolve the Kashmir issue.”
They apprised her of the importance Pakistan attached to the resolution of the Kashmir issue and the composite dialogue with India. She met Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan, Leader of Opposition in the Senate Raza Rabbani and Senator Tariq Aziz.
She also discussed with them matters pertaining to trade and economic relations and assured them of the continued US support and cooperation in these fields.—APP
Our Staff Reporter adds: Mr Rabbani told Ms Rocca that holding of free and fair elections at the earliest were the only solution to political problems of Pakistan.
The People’s Party Parliamentarians senator hinted at boycotting the general elections if party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif were not allowed to participate in it.
“The party will be forced to reconsider whether it should participate in the elections at all if Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif are not allowed to play any role in the next general elections,” he told the US assistant secretary of state.
He said that elections would have no legitimacy if Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif were not allowed to participate in it. Talking to Dawn later, Mr Rabbani said he had apprised Ms Rocca about the government’s policy of ‘political victimization’.
He said he had told her that there was no democracy in the country and political opposition, particularly the PPP, had not been provided with a level-playing field.
He said he had told Ms Rocca that the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy had made it clear that if Gen Musharraf wanted to talk to political parties, he should write letters to Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif.
The PPP senator said he had also apprised Ms Rocca that the government activated the Swiss investigations every time the party pressed for its demand of free and fair elections. He said Gen Musharraf wrongly claimed that he believed in democratization, modernity and tolerance. “In actual practice what Gen Musharraf preaches is different from what he practices,” Mr Rabbani said.
Sources said Ms Rocca was scheduled to meet Mr Rabbani with Leader of the House in Senate Wasim Sajjad, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Dr Sher Afgan. However, Maulana Fazl refused to meet Ms Rocca while Mr Sajjad could not attend the meeting due to some personal reasons.
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