February 01, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 12, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: Opposition members of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Wednesday submitted two adjournment motions with the National Assembly’s Secretariat seeking discussion on the proposed US legislations on military assistance to Pakistan and Dr A. Q. Khan.

ARD parliamentary secretary Izhar Amrohvi told Dawn that the motions had been filed under Rule 92 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 1992, and carried signatures of over 20 MNAs belonging to the People’s Party Parliamentarians and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

The first motion states: “The US legislation seeks ban on assistance to Pakistan as per report published in media. The US legislation endorsed by the House of Representatives cause for stopping US military assistance to Pakistan if Islamabad fails to halt the resurgence of Taliban inside its territory. Mahmood Ali Durrani, the Ambassador of Pakistan, acknowledged that anti-Pakistan feelings were strong in the US because of misperceptions about the country’s role in war against terrorism.”

The second adjournment motion states: “The US House of Representatives has authorised the administration to ask Pakistan to surrender Dr A. Q. Khan to the US authorities for investigation. The proposed law, called Nuclear Black Market Counter Terrorism Act, would require the US president to identify (the) countries that cooperated with A. Q. Khan’s network of proliferators and take punitive action against them.”

ARD members believed “this act of the US will harass and terrorise Pakistan to act on the directives of the US”. Terming it a “law to blackmail Pakistan”, ARD members called for an immediate debate on the issue on the floor of the house after adjourning the normal proceedings of the National Assembly.

The ARD parliamentary secretary said the opposition members had also moved an adjournment motion seeking a debate on the incident of manhandling of journalists by the Islamabad police at the site of the Marriott Hotel blast last week.