New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the UNGA centred on Kashmir might have earned a loud guffaw in international circles, but as it turns out it fell short of even the expectation of Pakistan Parliamentarians.
Syed Khurshid Shah, Leader of Opposition in Pakistan Parliament, has also said the “performance of the Sharif government’s advisers on foreign affairs” has led to the country getting isolated in the world community and that it did not enjoy good relations with any of its neighbours.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader called Sharif’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday “ordinary” because, apparently, his PM didn’t say enough to put India on a spot.
“Instead of delivering an ordinary speech, the prime minister should have emphatically and categorically highlighted threats and problems being faced by Pakistan due to Indian involvement in incidents of terrorism in the country,” said a statement issued by his office.
Shah also criticised the PM for not taking parliament into confidence and tore into Sharif’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz. “It seems that the prime minister considers his adviser on foreign affairs a “Mr know all”, he said.
A Dawn report quoted Shah as saying that he was concerned over the tabling of a bill in the US Congress seeking to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.
Shah asked the government to give up the practice of running foreign policy on an ad-hoc basis and adopt a consistent policy, a veiled reference to the fact that the country’s foreign and defence policies were directly being controlled by the Army.
“It is regrettable that the two most important ministries — defence and foreign affairs — are being run on an ad-hoc basis,” he said.
The Opposition leader asked the government to take the parliament into confidence over the recent escalation in tension between Pakistan and India which he said had almost created war hysteria.
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