Islamabad, Sept 26: Pakistan's influential Jamat Ulema Islami (F) party has said that the government's insistence on setting conditions for restoring air links with India was responsible for the breakdown of the peace process and demanded that ISI be kept out of foreign policy matters. "The Pakistan government's insistence on setting conditions to restore air links has disturbed the confidence building atmosphere between the two countries," Secretary General of JUI (Fazlur) Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan was quoted as saying by local daily Ausaf. Khan also blamed the intelligence agencies, especially the ISI, for the breakdown of the peace process and called for diplomats and foreign policy experts to take charge in giving proper direction to Indo-Pak relations. Observing that the people of India and Pakistan want to live in peace, he said the intelligence agencies were creating obstacles. "The reason is that our ISI has been given unlimited powers. In comparison, India's RAW is not that powerful". "India's political leadership is strong and capable of resolving issues on its own. In Pakistan the political leadership is not getting such opportunities. Our policy experts don't formulate our foreign policy because they are not powerful. Instead of keeping everything under ISI's control, concerned policy making institutions should be allowed to do their job", he said. Khan said the JUI (F) delegation's visit to India in July helped remove the impression that the religious leaders were responsible for all evils. He also said that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's observation that the Iraq issue should be a lesson for India and Pakistan to sort our their issues bilaterally before any third country gets involved was a "realistic" statement.
Rather than repeatedly bowing to the US pressure, Pakistan must think about reconciliation with India, Khan said. "The Pakistan government's policies have completely isolated Pakistan and in prevailing circumstances it should seriously think about mending differences with neighbouring countries. Pakistan should settle issues with neighbouring countries through a give and take policy," he said.
Bureau Report