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LAHORE, March 12: Former chief of army staff Gen Aslam Beg has criticized government’s decision of abstaining from voting in the UN Security Council on Iraq crisis and feared the decision will be destructive for national interests.
The balance of power is changing in the world and Pakistan must side with the emerging centres of power —- France, Germany, China and Russia —- he said while talking to a group of reporters here on Wednesday.
Awami Qiadat Party information secretary Muhammad Mahdi was also present on the occasion.
Gen Beg said Islamabad must not repeat the same mistake under the US pressure that it had committed 52 years ago.
“The decision had created a distance between Islamabad and Moscow which is still existing and we are suffering its consequences till today.”
Referring to a meeting of ambassadors of four countries included in the new power bloc, Gen Beg said it was very important event that depicted a great change in the world situation.
“The unipolar system is losing ground and the new centre of power is taking shape in our region. Ignoring it will be very dangerous for national interests,” he warned.
Urging the government not to fear from the US and its influence on the IMF, he reminded it that four envoys had clearly offered their help in the economic sector, saying they held 38 per cent voting power in the monetary institution as compared to 18 per cent held by the US.
He said ignoring these powerful neighbours and siding with a country like the United States, which had always deceived us, would be a vile decision.
DOMESTIC POLITICS: Commenting on local politics, Gen Beg, who is also chairman of the Awami Qiadat Party, said there were four forces —- judiciary, the president, the Jamali government and the opposition —- that could put the country on the right track.
All the four forces were existing due to compromises on various issues, he said, opposing any more settlements devoid of principles.
Urging the judiciary to restore its confidence by reviewing army government’s decisions taken in violation of Supreme Court’s January 2000 verdict under which it had legalized the army takeover, he regretted that in no civilized country people would openly say that they did not trust the apex court.
As a first step, Gen Beg said, the judges should reject the three-year extension to their tenure granted by the army government.
He urged President Gen Pervez Musharraf to show flexibility on the LFO and give a time-frame for resigning as chief of army staff besides abdicating some “harsh” powers he had obtained under the clause 58(2)b.
He suggested that the National Security Council should also be an advisory body working under rules of business instead of giving it a constitutional cover. He advised the PML-Q government to sit with the opposition to solve the crises facing the country.
Calling upon the opposition not to fear from losing their governments in provinces in case no understanding was reached with the government on vital issues, the AQP chief said it should take decisions on the basis of principles instead of temporary interests.
He was critical of the PPP for not taking part in the anti-US protests being organized in the country and urged it leadership to change its thinking according to the changing world scenario.
“The whole world is against the US on the Iraq issue but a political party here is supporting it for fear of Washington’s annoyance,” he regretted.
