There is a limit to our patience: Gilani on NATO attack

Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has called for a comprehensive review of country's cooperation with the US following the NATO strike, saying troops had been instructed to respond "with full force" to any further act of aggression.

Mr Gilani made the remarks while briefing a special meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security that was convened to discuss last Saturday's NATO air strike on two Pakistani military posts that killed 24 soldiers and its impact on future cooperation with the US and its allies.

"Clearly, there is a limit to our patience. Cooperation cannot be a one-way street," Gilani told the parliamentary panel.

The "dastardly" attack was a "grave infringement of Pakistan's territorial frontiers" by NATO and would "definitely compel us to revisit our national security paradigm", he said.

"Instructions have been issued to all units of the Pakistan armed forces to respond, with full force, to any act of aggression and infringement of Pakistan's territorial frontiers," he told the panel.

Mr Gilani sought recommendations from the panel for a joint session of Parliament that will be convened shortly to discuss the fallout of the NATO attack.

The premier signalled a possible shift in Pakistan's policy for the US-led war on terror, which Islamabad has supported since the 9/11 terror attacks.

"Our security and counter-terrorism policy needs to be pursued in a manner that suits Pakistans national interests," he said.

Mr Gilani noted that the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, the highest decision-making body on security issues, had already decided that the government would "undertake a complete review of all programmes, activities and cooperative arrangements with the US/NATO/ISAF, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence" cooperation.

"Given the gravity of the situation, it is imperative to undertake a holistic review of national security and the future of our cooperation with the United States and NATO," he said.

Pakistan responded angrily to the NATO air strike by closing all routes used to transport supplies to American and allied forces in Afghanistan and asking the US to vacate Shamsi airbase, reportedly used by CIA-operated drones.

The government also decided to boycott the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan to be held on December 5.

The meeting will discuss the future of the war-torn country and the West has been looking to Pakistan to play a key role in facilitating both the withdrawal of foreign forces and negotiations with the Taliban.

Mr Gilani and the Pakistan Army's Director General of Military Operations, Major General Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed, gave a detailed briefing to the parliamentary committee on the NATO attack and its fallout on Pakistan-US relations.

The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

The premier contended the attack had "serious implications for regional peace and security".

He said NATO aircraft continued to fire at the Pakistani troops for "over an hour" though the coordinates of the border posts were known to NATO and the International Security Assistance Force.

A coordination mechanism between Pakistani and NATO forces "remained ineffective", he said.

Pakistan had already lodged strong protests with the US, NATO and the Afghan government over the incident.

"The government of Pakistan strongly condemned these attacks, which were violative of the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

"We also conveyed to the US and NATO that these attacks were totally unacceptable and constituted a flagrant breach of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Mr Gilani said.

The attack had "gravely dented the fundamental basis of Pakistan's cooperation with NATO/ISAF against militancy and terror".

Safeguarding Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity is a "sacred national duty" and this will not be compromised under any circumstances, he added.

"Countering terrorism is a national priority and the whole nation is determined to eliminate this menace from our society and the region," he said, adding Pakistan will continue with its policy of dialogue, development and deterrence.

Pakistan's willingness to cooperate with the world community on counter-terrorism "has not been understood in its proper perspective", Mr Gilani contended.

"The notion to give Pakistan a 'to do' list and the mantra of 'do more' have caused immense resentment," he said.

"In recent months, there has been a tendency to project Pakistan not as a 'partner' but as the 'problem'," Mr Gilani contended.

Pakistan's sacrifices in the campaign against terror had not been "adequately acknowledged", he said.

"What is worse is the tendency to make Pakistan into a scapegoat for failings of international policies in Afghanistan," he added.

Mr Gilani said it would be a "grave miscalculation for anyone to believe that stability and peace in Afghanistan can be restored or maintained by destabilizing Pakistan".

He suggested that the "way forward is to make honest efforts to get clarity and develop coherence, especially among Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US for instituting a credible process for a durable political settlement that guarantees the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan".

"Our continued cooperation in this regard can only be premised on a partnership approach that is consistent with Pakistan's national interests and scrupulous respect for Pakistan's sovereignty, independence and absolutely zero tolerance for any transgression against Pakistan's state frontiers," Mr Gilani said.

Pakistan does not seek economic assistance from the US but demanded "respect for our sovereignty and territorial integrity" and a non-recurrence of incidents like the NATO attack, he said.