Senate condemns Bajaur attack: Unanimous resolution spares US
By Raja Asghar
ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: The treasury and opposition benches in the Senate on Wednesday jointly condemned the recent US air strike in the Bajaur tribal area, calling it a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty but a unanimous resolution spared Washington of direct blame.
The resolution was much milder than most speeches that denounced both America and Pakistan’s alliance with it during an opposition-sought debate on the Jan 13 missile strike.
The ruling party said it felt the same way as the opposition about the incident but the compromise resolution, signed by leaders of all parliamentary groups in the upper house, did not contain such common opposition demands as an American apology or compensation for the loss of lives and property.
Though the resolution did not condemn Washington for the attack, the United States was mentioned twice while talking of the “importance of friendly cooperative relations” between the two countries and the potential negative impact of such incidents.
The opposition, including the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, seemed to be endorsing Pakistan-US alliance by agreeing to the resolution’s call to the two countries to “utilise the available institutional mechanisms for better coordination in the context of efforts against terrorism”.
“The Senate unanimously condemns the incident of Jan 13 in the Damadola village in the Bajaur area,” the resolution said.
It only deplored “the loss of innocent lives” and “violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan in this incident”.
The resolution stressed that “maintenance of security inside the territory of Pakistan is the responsibility of Pakistani authorities” and said: “Such intrusion in not acceptable under any circumstances.”
It said: “The Senate underlines that such incidents negatively impact on Pakistan’s friendly relations with the United States. Pakistan is itself a victim of terrorism and is at the forefront of the efforts of the international community to eliminate this scourge. Incidents of this nature erode public support for measures to combat terrorism.
“The Senate further notes that such events have the effect of kindling public sentiments not only in Pakistan but also across the Islamic world.
“The Senate recognises the importance of friendly and cooperative relations with the United States. It underscores the imperative of ensuring that no incident of this nature takes place in the future.”
From the opposition’s side, Senator Farhatullah Babar of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) made the most outstanding speech in which he raised several questions about perceived “realities” and weaknesses highlighted by the Bajuar incident.
