Pakistan gov't urged to review terms of engagement with U.S.
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Pakistani parliament passed a unanimous resolution early Saturday and called upon the government to review its terms of engagement with the United States, with a view to ensuring that the country's national interests are fully respected and accommodated in pursuit of policies for countering terrorism and achieving reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.
The special session of the parliament was summoned on Friday for one-point agenda to discuss the raid by the U.S. special forces on a compound in northwest Pakistani city of Abbotabad to kill the al-Qaida chief.
The parliament passed a 12-point unanimous resolution in the wee hours of Saturday after a long debate and briefings by the head of the intelligence agencies and air chief about the U.S. May 2 action, which has evoked strong resentment across Pakistan.
It called upon the government to appoint an independent commission on the Abbottabad operation, fix responsibility and recommend necessary measures to ensure that such an incident does not recur.
The resolution strongly condemned the U.S. unilateral raid on a compound to kill Osama bin Laden and said such action is amount to violation of the country's sovereignty.
The resolution condemned U.S. drone strikes in the country's tribal regions and warned that Pakistan could stop supplies for the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan if strikes from the U.S. spy planes were not stopped.
"Such drone attacks must be stopped forthwith, failing which the Government will be constrained to consider taking necessary steps including withdrawal of transit facility allowed to NATO/ ISAF forces," the resolution said.
The resolution determined that unilateral actions cannot advance the global cause of elimination of terrorism, and the people of Pakistan will no longer tolerate such actions and repeat of unilateral measures could have dire consequences for peace and security in the region and the world.
It called upon the government to ensure that the principles of an independent foreign policy must be grounded in strict adherence to the principles of policy, as stated in Article 40 of the Constitution, the UN Charter, observance of international law and respect for the free will and aspirations of sovereign states and their peoples.
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