Parliamentary panel endorses Swat deal

[LahoreEstate]

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on National Security on Wednesday endorsed the peace deal in Swat and asked the United States to stop Pakistan’s airspace violation and halt the drone attacks.

“The peace deal in Swat is in line with the consensus resolution of the in-camera joint session of parliament and it will not lead to Talibanisation,” said committee Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani while talking to newsmen after a meeting of the panel here at the Parliament House.

The meeting was chaired by Raza Rabbani and attended by all the members of the committee except federal ministers and ANP chief Asfandyar Wali. Minister for Information Sherry Rehman, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan and Minister for Local Government Abdul Razaq Taheem did not attend the meeting due to cabinet meeting in Lahore while Asfandyar Wali was ill.

Rabbani hoped that the peace agreement would not face the fate of the previous accords, saying that it would be implemented for peace in Swat. “The schools will be reopened and girls will get their schools while the people will enjoy the positive impact of peace,” he added.

Raza Rabbani, who is also the Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination and leader of the House in the Senate, said the committee would finalise its recommendations by next week in its meeting on February 24, which would be handed over to the government.

He said the committee strongly condemned the drone attacks and asked the United States to respect the decision of Pakistan’s parliament. “The government has taken up the drone attacks’ issue with the new US administration and talks are going on in this regard,” he added.

Rabbani rejected the reaction from the international community to the peace deal in Swat, saying that all of their apprehensions were baseless, as the government was pursuing the three “D” policy — dialogue, development and deterrence — and the deal was in line with this policy.

“There was a precedent of such kind of agreements in the world such as the accord between the Irish Republican Army and Britain,” he added. Rabbani said it was a political agreement that would bring peace to Swat and provide relief to the people.

Answering a question regarding the tenure of the committee, he said the committee would continue till the next joint session of parliament and would continue to review the issues of national security.

To another question regarding the absence of ANP President Asfandyar Wali from the meeting, he said Asfandyar Wali did not attend the meeting due to illness but he was in contact and was being briefed about the proceedings and decisions of the committee.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=20432