ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: Leader of the PPP parliamentary party in the Senate and deputy secretary-general of the party Mian Raza Rabbani has criticized the statement of Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri in which he supported the US troops’ presence in Iraq.

In a press statement here on Monday, Mr Rabbani said, “the statement of the foreign minister as reported in the press that it was unrealistic for the US to withdraw from Iraq was reflective of “more loyal than the king” attitude as the minister had gone even beyond the position taken by the US.

He said the foreign minister through the statement had also endorsed the repugnant concepts of unilateral action and pre- emptive strike.

“This will have dangerous implications in the context of the subcontinent and the Indian posture in the region. Does the minister realize the far-reaching implications of his statement on the situation in Palestine and Kashmir?”.

The PPP leader said the foreign minister’s statement had come close on the heels of the stand taken by the Islamic countries on Saturday in Malaysia, demanding withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq.

“Is the government trying to distance itself from the collective position taken by the OIC?

“The minister should have kept in mind that even the US- backed Governing Council in Iraq has asked Muslim countries not to send troops to Iraq.”