ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has assured Pakistan that Nato forces respected its sovereignty and has no mandate to cross into the country.

This was stated by Nisar A. Memon at a press conference on Monday on his return from a visit to the United Kingdom and Belgium at the head of a delegation of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence.

He said the delegation told the Nato officials that drone attacks inside Pakistan were a serious cause of concern because they infringed on the sovereignty of the country and caused collateral damage and sufferings to innocent people.

The officials were told that the attacks were giving a bad name to the US and its allies operating in Afghanistan.

The delegation also raised the issue of tremendous increase in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan without any check by Nato forces, resulting in intensifying terrorist operations in the region.

The role being played by Indian consulates and forces in Afghanistan was also raised.

The Nato officials said that the Afghan police and army were being trained to enable them to combat terrorism and maintain law and order in their country.

They said that Nato and Isaf forces would remain in Afghanistan till the time the Karzai government required them to be there to meet security challenges.

The delegation met three assistant and deputy secretaries general of Nato who gave presentation on Nato operations.

The delegation met other officials and visited the Nato Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons.

Mr Memon said that in the UK, the delegation met Ms Baroness Taylor, Minister for International Defence and Security, who said that the British government was pleased that supply routes to Isaf in Afghanistan had been reopened.

The delegation raised the issue of drone attacks and expressed Pakistan’s serious concern.At the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the delegation was briefed on UK’s policy on Afghanistan and the role of Isaf.

Mr Memon conveyed to the British authorities that it was time for the allied forces to do more because Pakistan was playing its role and had sacrificed lives, both of security personnel and civilians.

He said the House of Commons defence committee was informed that the parliament of Pakistan had passed a unanimous resolution which clearly stated that the war on terror would not be only a military operation but would also include political content. The resolution condemned violations of the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan. It called for holding dialogue for solving the problem.

The delegation comprised Syed Dilawar Abbas, Saadia Abbasi, Rukhsana Zuberi, Asif Jatoi, Kamran Murtaza, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Tariq Azeem Khan and the committee’s secretary Iftikhar Ullah Babar.