In reviewing Pakistan’s relations with US on Sunday,the President,the Prime Minister and Chief Army Staff resolved to avoid emotional path and follow rationale.”The country’s top leadership reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding national dignity,sovereignity and territorial integrity”,sources privy to troika,shared with media.An official handout stated that Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Presidency. Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani was also present during the meeting that discussed current security situation, it added.Earlier the sources described the three top figures on the same page during the meeting on following the message in the Parliament’s resolution in letter and spirit to restore feelings of the Pakistani people hurt by the American unilateral operation in Abbottabad.
According to the sources, the military and civil leadership sharpened Pakistan’s stance in furthering engagement with US from where a so-called pro-Pakistan Senator John Kerry arrived here this evening. Kerry is the first high level American dignitary visiting Pakistan for over a daylong trip to meet Pakistani leadership. “He appears to be on an appeasement tour, pacifying charged sentiment in Pakistan with assurances to help expedite releases of funds already committed by the US under the Coalition Support Fund and the KLB Act,” the sources observed.“Therefore the troika was unanimous in telling the US that Pakistan would no more tolerate unilateralism in terms of covert operations and drone attacks,” the sources added. He would be reminded that Pakistan and US bilateral relations were supposed to be based on mutual respect and no unilateralism or pressure in deviation from national security would be acceptable, the meeting decided.
During the meeting the Army Chief assured the political leadership that the armed forces as well as the premier intelligence apparatus would not disappoint the nation, the sources said.The troika also undertook to ensure timely setting up of an Independent Commission to probe into the Abbottabad operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. The army and the government were all out to facilitate both the establishment and proceedings of the Commission as transpired from the Sunday meeting according to the sources. – Onlinenews
