PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has asked the Federal Government to renegotiate the terms and conditions of the Kerry-Lugar bill with the US administration in order to properly reflect the aspirations of the people of Pakistan and mutual respect for independence and sovereignty of the two countries.

Secretary Information of ANP Zahid Khan in a written statement issued to the press here Saturday night said that the current debate in the country on the Kerry-Lugar bill has seen extreme partisan positions aiming at points scoring and political capitalization.

However the ANP after detailed internal debate and discussion has outlined rational, dispassionate and objective evaluation of the bill.

He said the ANP cannot accept the limitations and certification clauses and call on the federal government and US to renegotiate the terms and conditions of the bill to properly reflect the aspirations of the people of Pakistan and mutual respect for independence and sovereignty of the two countries, he added.

The Awami National Party does not see any significant point of concern or reservation in title of the bill except for the possibility of diverting the share of financial assistance away from Pakhtunkhwa and Fata which have been hardest hit by insurgency and terrorism.

However the ANP calls for uninterrupted flow of non military assistance specified in the bill while the limitations and certifications are being negotiated.

Awami National Party has always stood for independent foreign policy. It has been consistently opposed to becoming part of any military alliances to fight proxy wars and allow the country to be used as a front line state.

Pakistan’s present predicament is because of the past flawed policies particularly those adopted during Musharraf’s regime turning the country into a security state. The duplicity of policies during the period seriously undermined the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

Moreover, it was these policies that made the country vulnerable to internal and external security threats, open to undue demands due to widening gap and a trust deficit.—APP