December 15, 2006	Friday	Ziqa'ad 23, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The unexpected support extended to the government on its Afghan policy by a People’s Party Parliamentarians’ (PPP) senator here on Thursday is being seen by some political experts as an indication that the party has softened its stance towards the military regime before the general elections.

PPP Senator Sardar Latif Khosa surprised the participants of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when he used almost the same words and phrases earlier used by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, while defending his government’s Afghan policy.

“Are you from the PPP or the PPP-Q as you are supporting the government,” said an Afghan expert Ahmed Rashid in reference to the ruling PML, also known as the PML-Quaid-i-Azam, while interrupting Senator Khosa.

“I am defending Pakistan, keeping in view the national interest,” Mr Khosa replied. “We helped (President) Karzai in his elections and still we are being blamed,” the PPP senator added. He was of the view that the world community was wrongly equating Taliban with Al-Qaeda as Taliban were Pushtoons and Afghans, while Al-Qaeda men were Arabs and other foreigners.

“I dispute the factor that Taliban are killing women and children as Pashtoons always respect women and children,” he said. The PPP senator said a strong Afghanistan was a need of Pakistan so why would it make efforts to destabilise the country.

Contrary to his party’s policy, Senator Khosa praised some of the steps taken by the Taliban during their rule in Afghanistan. He said they had brought the poppy cultivation to zero. He said no one had the right to dislodge a government in any country if it did not like some of its actions.

Like Gen Musharraf, the PPP senator also held the US responsible for the present Afghan situation, saying the US should not have abandoned Afghanistan after withdrawal of Russian troops. He questioned why the US did not take part in the reconstruction of Afghanistan after the war.

After the meeting, Senator Khosa kept on receiving appreciations from the ruling party members for his support to the government’s Afghan policy.