Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former Foreign Minister Sardar Asif Ahmad Ali said that the people of Pakistan were upset and worried over American demands for doing more and he is personally in favour of a right of appeal to Dr. Shakil Afridi but Donald Trump didn’t not have the right to talk on Pakistan’s internal affairs.

The US congressional panel has endorsed a draft bill that seeks to block $450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to take action against Afghanistan’s militant Haqqani Network. Some days earlier, the US Congress also asked Pakistan to use its national funds to buy eight F-16s from the US.
While talking to the Daily Times on the recent US pressure on Pakistan, Sardar Asif Ahmad Ali, who remained Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 1993 to 1996 said that “it had become a US habit no matter they were right or wrong they mounted pressure on Pakistan and they succeeded to force Pakistan to accept their demand” But “now the people and the governments of Pakistan are not ready to give in to US pressure”, he added.
“I am personally in favour of a right of appeal to FATA people in the High court and the Supreme Court. So, Dr. Afridi should also have a right to appeal and plead his case ” the former Foreign Minister said.
He said that the release of Dr. Afridi was an internal matter of Pakistan and Republican, American Presidential candidate Donald Trump had no right to interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs . This is also violation of international law.
He said that Pakistan does not have any complaint with American President Obama on the issue of F-16s. It was done by the American congress, where the Republican Party has a strong hold and the ruling Democratic Party is slightly weak. He said Pakistan has other options to purchase jets from other nations.
He said ,“Around 300,000 American and NATO forces remained in Afghanistan for many years and they did not bring peace and stability therein and they turned the Afghan capital into ruins They themselves failed. Now, they place the blame of their failure on Pakistan to cover up their failure. . He said that the Haqqani network was not creating any problem and did not indulge in any activity against Pakistan and was rather ready for the peace process and dialogue in Afghanistan.
Dr. Riffat Hussain, Professor of NUST said that the supply of F-16s has been blocked temporarily and both countries were trying hard to get the congressional obstacles removed. The removal of US subsidy would mean that Pakistan has to find alternative funding to finance it.
“I personally think that Pakistan should not buy these expensive fighter aircraft and if it has to spend its own money then equally good and less expensive aircraft are available from France, China and Russia”, he added.
Commenting on the Haqqani network, Dr. Hussain said, ”Washington would not gain much by asking Islamabad to do more against the Haqqani network. The Haqqanis are operating across the border on both sides and the bulk of their fighters is based inside Afghanistan. What needs to be done is by Islamabad and Kabul to evolve a common strategy to tackle the threat of terrorism, something which is not happening. Pakistan’s leverage with the Afghan Taliban is diminishing and that is a realization that has to be factored in by Kabul.”
Speaking on Dr. Afridi’s case he said that had resonance only with some of the anti-Pakistan congressional circles in Washington. The visible strains in Pak-US ties would only deepen the crisis of confidence between Washington and Islamabad. The “US also knows that there are limits to coercive pressures against Pakistan”, he remarked.