ISLAMABAD: A legislative body of the Upper House on Thursday termed the fiasco over F-16 fighter jets deal with US a ‘total failure’ of Pakistan’s foreign policy, claiming that Indian lobby was behind it.
The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs was of the view that main purpose of getting the latest fighter jets was to improve performance of armed forces in the ongoing war on terror, particularly operation Zarb-e-Azab in tribal areas of the country. It said Pakistani forces and people had rendered great sacrifices, both physically and financially, and refusal by US to fund F-16s was a huge setback for efforts against militancy.
Senator Col (r) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi regretted that the US Congress always supported issues which were against Pakistan’s interest and has now stopped the supply of fighter jets which were totally related to the security of the country. He claimed that the US always leveled baseless allegations against Pakistan. Like the past, this time again the US left Pakistan in the lurch after ‘using’ it in its war in Afghanistan, he said. The Indian lobby is very much strong in the US Congress as well as other international forums and had always endeavored to damage Pakistan.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain whether Indian strategic alliance with US was the reason for refusal to provide fighter jets to Pakistan. According to the Strategic Alliance, the US forces can use Indian airports and other places when the need arises. Foreign Affairs Special Secretary Amjad Hussain Sial assured the committee that he would provide detailed informed over the issue after getting necessary input over it.
The committee also expressed serious reservations over allocation of only Rs 15 million for public diplomacy while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had demanded Rs 150 million for the purpose in the annual budget 2016-17. The committee recommended the government to provide Rs 150 million at least for the public diplomacy, the main purpose of which is to improve Pakistan’s image abroad.
The ministry told the committee that this new initiative on part of it was aimed at increasing interaction with a wide range of government and non-government opinion makers to create better understanding of the foreign policy decisions within Pakistan and abroad. The special secretary claimed that it would also help in building relationship with the decision makers. However, he said, the Finance Division has agreed to provide only Rs 15 million for the purpose.
The committee was informed that the government has allocated a sum of Rs 35 million for enhancement of security arrangement for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building situated in the Red Zone.
The committee approved a memorandum of understanding for cooperation between the committee on foreign affairs of the Senate of the United States of Mexico and the standing committee on foreign affairs of the Senate of Pakistan. The draft maintained that to increase intra-parliamentary cooperation on the basis of friendship and mutual benefit, such type of understanding would help both the countries.
The committees would strengthen parliamentary ties through reciprocal and systematical visits of delegations and through the operation of new mechanisms of cooperation, dialogue and exchange of experiences, it said, and added that
To another agenda item, the committee directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm from the UAE government the date of departure and flight number of missing Pakistani Omer Mateen from Dubai on March 26, 2014.
Mateen was serving as accountant at Rustum Extreme Solutions and was assigned by his company to draw a sum of AED 1.5 million from a local Dubai Bank on March 2, 2014 and from this date he was missing. His parents were also crying for his whereabouts and have no contact with him. The Foreign Ministry informed the committee that the UAE government claimed that he had already left Dubai. The committee directed the ministry to confirm his date of departure, flight number and the country to which he left for.