MINGORA, April 3: Federal Minister for Water and Power and Northern Areas Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has expressed hope that the National Assembly will also follow the Senate and adopt a resolution against the war on Iraq.

He said that the members of both the treasury and opposition benches had the same policy regarding the Iraq issue.

Speaking to a gathering on Thursday at the residence of Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao) general secretary Kamran Khan, Mr Sherpao criticized the United States of America for its sanctions against the Kahuta Research Laboratories and termed it a step against a programme for peace.

He said that the government’s foreign and other policies were purely in the best interests of the people and the country, and appreciated Islamabad’s stand on national and international issues.

He assured the people that the government had planned to change fate of the poor by adopting solid policies in the country.

Mr Sherpao said that the government had its regular contacts with the authorities of the Afghanistan government and work had been started on repatriation of the Afghan refugees.

He disclosed that 1.5 million Afghan refugees had reached their homeland and some 600,000 would move in a period of three years.

The minister said that peace in Afghanistan was the only solution for repatriation of the people. He said that the government was considering resumption of the air service to Swat in order to promote tourism.