ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar said on Wednesday that our civil and political leadership should frame new terms of engagement with the military leadership.
He said that more than framing new terms of engagement with the United States this engagement is more important in the formulation and implementation of the foreign and security policies. He said this in the Senate Committee of the Whole specially constituted for the purpose of discussion on the regional situation and new terms of engagement with the foreign countries.
He said, “No matter what terms of engagement with a foreign country are framed, it will serve no purpose unless the first step to reformulate the terms of engagement between state institutions was first taken within the country.”
He said that foreign policy formulation in critical areas such as relations with countries in the region and the Kashmir issue had been taken over by the security establishment. The contradiction within the state institution had resulted in a botched up foreign policy as was evident from the fiasco of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor and the tweets that only generated tensions with Iran, he said.
For how long we will continue to deceive ourselves by pretending that there are no issues of serious disconnect in policy formulation, he added.
He proposed the setting up of a bi-partisan parliamentary committee comprising of all political parties to discuss and make recommendations for resetting the new terms on engagement between the civil and the military. He also proposed that all the stakeholders including the leadership of the security establishment, the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Inter Services Public Relations, the academia, civil society organisations and others be invited for a frank, free and in-depth discussion on the issue.
He said that the balance of power within the region was shifting towards India and within Pakistan it had already shifted dangerously towards the military. This is a deadly combination that calls for urgent corrective policy measures in consultation with all stake holders, he said while stressing the need for a parliamentary committee to address the issue.
