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Military operation not the only solution: Jhagra

* PML-N supports Operation Rah-e-Nijat, govt should engage all stakeholders

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Although the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supports Operation Rah-e-Nijat in Waziristan, the government should initiate dialogue with all stakeholders, as a military operation is not the only solution, PML-N central leader Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Shahzeb Khanzada in his programme ‘News Line’ on Business Plus, he said the PML-N’s support for Operation Rah-e-Nijat was not as strong as it had been for the military operation in Swat. He said the presence of US troops in the region was a major bone of contention and Pakistan could not wipe out terrorism unless the US and its allies pulled out from Afghanistan.

To a question on the expected US troop surge in Afghanistan, he said Islamabad could convince Washington to reconsider their decision to send in more troops, as the US could not wage this war without Islamabad’s support.

When asked why PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif did not suggest any such move to US diplomats, Jhagra said statements issued by senior party leaders were in fact the party’s stance on the issue and the message was conveyed to Washington when US diplomats met Nawaz.

He said the party would bring a resolution against the Kerry-Lugar legislation in parliament in consultation with other political parties. Jhagra said the Kerry-Lugar legislation was a threat to the nation’s sovereignty, adding that the government could accept the conditional US aid if it wanted to.

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