LAHORE, March 9: Former foreign minister Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali says Pakistan is at the horns of a dilemma as far as its vote in the UN Security Council on the Iraq issue is concerned.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, he said he would not like to offer any advice to the government on whether it should vote for or against the amended resolution, being supported by the United States, Britain and Spain. But, he said, as an analyst he would say that a vote for or against the new resolution would have its own implications.

He said if Pakistan voted for the resolution, it would amount to pleasing the sponsors and annoying the people at home. But a vote against the resolution would satisfy the people at home and bring the country under enormous pressure from the US and its allies, with which Islamabad has very strong trade relations.

Sardar Assef said the situation was so delicate and the choice was so difficult for Pakistan that he could only sympathise with the government.

The former foreign minister alleged that instead of deweaponsing Iraq the US president wanted to conquer the country. “He is Adolf Hitler of the 21st century”, he said of the US president.

In his opinion, France, Russia and China were still keeping a margin for negotiations with the US and UK on a new resolution. They could still agree to a new resolution, if worded according to their advice.

The former foreign minister said if the three permanent members decided to abstain a new resolution, the decision would rest with the remaining eight members of the world body, including the sponsors, and five votes would be needed to have the resolution carried.

In this situation Pakistan’s role would be crucial, he said.Meanwhile, Punjab PML(N) secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq said in a statement on Sunday that the US should give up its plan to invade Iraq after the UN monitors’ report which belied allegations that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

He said the US president was a threat to the world peace and humanity.

He was of the opinion that Pakistan should respond positively to the contacts made by Germany, Russia and France, the countries staunchly opposing an anti-Iraq war.

Saad said the nation wanted to see Pakistan standing on the side of anti-war states.