Addressing a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, convened at the Foreign Office to deliberate on various aspects of the new US policy for Afghanistan, Mr Qureshi warned that there were red lines which must not be crossed and said that drone strikes were “counter-productive and unhelpful” in the war against extremism.
Although soon after the announcement of the revised US policy, the Foreign Office had given its initial reaction, this was possibly for the first time that the foreign minister severely criticised the new American strategy and said that it carried grave implications for Pakistan's national security.
“There are serious implications of the new US Afghanistan Strategy for Pakistan,” Mr Qureshi was quoted in an official statement as having said at the meeting.
Under the revised strategy, 30,000 more US troops would be dispatched to Afghanistan by mid-2010.
The parliamentarians were informed that there were fears that the troop surge would particularly hit the already restive Balochistan.
“As a result of the military surge, there could be more violence in Afghanistan which could, in turn, result in further influx of militants and refugees from Afghanistan into Pakistan,” the official statement said.
Washington has lately been increasing pressure on Pakistan to take on all militant groups in tribal areas, particularly the North Waziristan-based Haqqani network, and dismantle Taliban 'sanctuaries' in Balochistan.
Diplomatic sources say Pakistani leadership had been unequivocally cautioned by various official visitors from the US that if Pakistan failed to act, the Americans could take direct action, including expansion of drone strikes in Balochistan.
President Barack Obama himself had stated “We ... have made it clear that we cannot tolerate a safe haven for terrorists whose location is known and whose intentions are clear.”
The members of the committee emphasised that the US should take cognizance of Pakistans legitimate concerns.They urged the government to forcefully take up with the Afghan authorities and the American leadership the use of Afghan soil for subversive activities in Pakistan, particularly the Indian role.
