HYDERABAD, May 3 Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) Senator Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro has stressed the need for changes in the country's foreign policy to ensure sovereignty of Pakistan.

Speaking at a news conference in Tando Allahyar on Sunday, he reminded President Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders about their pre-election promises that the party would discard the policies of Pervez Musharraf. He said that the PPP was not only pursuing Musharraf's policies but had become more subservient to the US.

He demanded autonomy for the federating units and said that the National Finance Commission award should be based on justice and equity.

He said that what was happening in the tribal areas was an outcome of wrong and pro-US policies of successive governments, adding that the people of the tribal areas and FATA were fighting a war for Pakistan.

He said that the people of NWFP and Balochistan were no less patriotic than the people of other provinces. He, however, said that excesses and injustices always gave rise to revolt and rebellion. He said that the tribal areas had voluntarily joined the country on certain conditions which had not been fulfilled.

He claimed that bloodshed was taking place in the NWFP since Musharraf had rejected Hasba Bill tabled by the JUI-F government.

Senator Soomro welcomed the agreement signed by the ANP government with Sufi Mohammad but did not agree with the former that the Ulema were creating hurdles in the enforcement of Shariat.

He alleged that the US, India and Israel were involved in suicide attacks in Pakistan which were aimed at defaming Muslims and Ulema.