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ISLAMABAD, March 12: The government on Monday distanced itself from a resolution unanimously passed by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence demanding a halt or reduction in counter-terrorism cooperation with Washington in case US military aid to Pakistan was made conditional.
“Parliament is the sovereign body and the parliament does not represent the government, it represents the people of Pakistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said. However, on a more ambiguous note she added: “It does not have to represent the government’s views. It may or it may not.”
To a follow-up question on the subject, she snapped back: “I am not here to discuss who represents whom.”
Dispelling the impression that the government may have prompted the defence committee to adopt the resolution, she said: “I would clarify that the parliament and its committees act independently, they make their own judgments and their own decisions as do parliaments in other countries, and governments of course have to work closely with the parliament.”
Brushing aside apprehensions about various Pakistan-specific bills currently under discussion in the US Congress, the spokesperson said the government was in touch with the US administration and was working with the Congress in this regard. “We were assured by the (US) administration that they would also be working with the Congress to ensure that there is no language in the final legislation which is prejudicial to Pakistan and we hope that they will live up to their commitment,” Ms Aslam said.
She ducked a question on whether in the event of an anti-Pakistan legislation the government would review its support to the US in the war on terror, saying it was in the realm of speculation.Replying to another question the spokesperson ruled out the possibility of any threat to the country and said such concerns were unfortunately only created by the media.
US HR REPORT: Commenting on the US State Department’s latest report that is critical of the human rights situation in Pakistan, Ms Aslam said: “We have seen the report. It obviously lacks objectivity and contains inaccuracies and distortions.”
Regretting that it failed to acknowledge the progress Pakistan had made in multiple fields and the steps taken by the government to promote human rights, she said: “We expected the State Department’s Human Rights report to acknowledge that,” adding: “It would be prudent for any country to avoid making critical comments on human rights issues.”
To the reference in the US State Department’s report to the human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir, she said Kashmir had a different status.
IRAN: The spokesperson said that Pakistan would not allow its bases or airspace to be used for an attack on Iran.
