Pakistan Won’t Support War on Iraq: Jamali

25/12/2005| IslamWeb

The government has decided “not” to support any move that seeks to attack Iraq and create problems for its people.

“I want to take parliament into confidence and tell the parliamentarians that Pakistan will not become a party to any decision which leads to bloodshed in Iraq”, declared Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Speaking in the National Assembly, he said here on Monday that he also wanted to take the nation into confidence to clarify the position of the government on Iraq. “And for this purpose I would address the nation on Tuesday”.

Mr Jamali, who made his brief speech amid slogans by MNAs belonging to MMA, PPP and PML-N, regretted that opposition was not behaving like matured people. “You must listen to me if at all you want me to talk on important national and international issues”, he said adding that his government fully believed in taking decisions which were based on consensus.

The PM pointed out that his government will not help any country to fulfil its “war designs” against Iraq. “We want to go along with other countries to deal with Iraqi problem”.
Later, speaking at a news conference in his chamber, the prime minister criticized the opposition parties for not allowing him to make a policy statement on Iraq. “But let me tell them that minority cannot dictate majority to do this or to do that”, he added.

To a question he said that he has been saying for the last three months that his government did not want to create problems for the Iraqi people by supporting what he termed any “unjust decision”. “It will be very difficult for Pakistan to support war in Iraq”, Mr Jamali said.

Asked whether Pakistan will abstain or support new US resolution in the UN Security Council to attack Iraq, he said, “let the time come for voting”.

In reply to a question he said Pakistan-US relations were very good as both the countries had been actively working together against terrorism. “But if some thing is not in the interest of my country then why should we accept that”, he asked.

He told a newsman that he would be visiting the United States on March 27 or 28 to discuss hosts of issues with President Bush. “But my agenda is Pakistan and I would only serve the interests of my country”, he assured.

Talking about opposition’s agitation in the nation assembly, Mr Jamali said that his government was ready to open dialogue on the LFO to settle all the issues peacefully and in the spirit of accommodation.

He made it clear that the LFO was very much a part of the Constitution as all the amendments made in it were in line with the decision of the Supreme Court. “But I want to tell the opposition that let us initiate a dialogue to work out any constitutional package to resolve a standoff on LFO”, he added.

He said he held talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qazi Hussain and Maulana Sami ul Haq on Saturday and invited them for talks on all controversial issues. “I told them that the government would be flexible to discuss LFO with the opposition”.

But he said that he feared that the opposition wanted to get the assemblies removed by what he termed adhering to politics of agitation. Mr Jamali said that the opposition members were forgetting that the elections of MNAs and Senators were held under LFO provisions and as such it could not be now undone.

The prime minister made it clear he would not set up a new parliament committee to discuss LFO. “But we are ready to discuss LFO outside the house”, he said

He told a reporter that when people in the previous assemblies enchanted slogans like “go baba go”, the democratic institutions were packed by a third force. He said he has directed PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to hold talks with opposition by once again formally inviting it.

He said he has personally held talks with many MNAs including Syed Kurshid Shah and Naveed Qamar to resolve the crisis on LFO. He said he expected from the graduate assembly to behave responsibly so that the parliament could be run and people’s problems solved at their doorsteps.

He was asked whether his government was ready to concede certain favours to the opposition on National Security Council (NSC), 58(2)(B) and the removal of president’s military uniform. “This could only be possible when the opposition stops taking political mileage in the garb of LFO”, he replied.

“Let the parliament function and this is how we could remove our differences on various constitutional matters”, the prime minister said.

Mr Jamali said some politicians sitting in Jeddah and Dubai were misguiding their members of the parliament on various issues.

He refused to say any thing when asked whether he has discussed LFO with President Musharraf. “There are many things which cannot be discussed in the public”.

To another question, he said the opposition MNAs were more interested in Mr Sanaullah MPA, who was allegedly manhandled by some security agency, rather than having foreign policy debate on Iraq.

Mr Jamali told a reporter that he could not do any thing to bring 58 Pakistanis who were currently in Guantanamo bay prison in Cuba. “Why had they gone to Afghanistan”, he asked.

PHOTO CAPTION

S. Vice President Dick Cheney, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr Palace, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP)

Source: Dawn