NAWABSHAH, Dec 5: Chief of Awami Muslim League Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said here on Friday that the government should not trust India and withdraw troops from FATA as well as ban all Indian television channels.

Talking to journalists here at the press club on Friday, he said that all the Indian TV channels should be banned immediately in order to generate revenue for Pakistani channels because it was era of media. He said that India should also be stopped from using threatening language and if war was imposed, India would be the sufferer.

He said that he attended the All Parties Conference (APC) where he was informed about Indian letter but it was not made public and the participants were kept in dark. He said that Pakistan should negotiate with India on the basis of equality and suggested that the foreign office, instead of some 3rd channel, be directly involved in these talks.

He said that India has demanded only three people, of them two were Indian nationals, and they can not be handed over as there was no extradition treaty between the two countries. Mr Shaikh said that Pakistan should also demand from India the culprits involved in terrorism activities in Pakistan including Lt Col Srikant.

He said that Pakistan had moved forward in taking confidence -building measures for better relations with India by opening some routes, however, it was time that the country should also move forward towards Iran and China without any fear. He further said that India was well aware of the economic crisis of Pakistan and both could not afford any conventional war.

He lauded the government for not sending the ISI chief to India and said if it was done, it would have been a ‘confession of crime.’ He further said that ISI was the prime agency of the country and was being closely watched by FBI, RAW and MOSAD who were out to defame it.

He regretted that no friends of Pakistan came forward to help Pakistan and the country was left with no option but to approach the MF for loan.

He said that there were limited drone attacks in Musharraf period but now there were three to four attacks daily and he was of the opinion that it was a secret agreement under which drones were hitting target inside Pakistan “and they have been told to continue these attacks either till January or February 15. Answering another question, he said that he had been demanding reinstatement of Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry which is, however, impossible.