ISLAMABAD: Senate Defense Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain Syed has said that talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were discussed in the National Security Committee (NSC).
During an exclusive interview to ARY News here on Thursday, Mushahid Hussain Syed said that the military leadership gave a good briefing during the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting.
The head of the Senate Defense Committee said that Mohsin Dawar opposed talks with the banned TTP, while some people expressed reservations but said peace should be given a chance.
He informed that Foreign Minister and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also talked about the martyrdom of his mother, but despite reservations, he gave qualified support to the talks.
He recalled that PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat and he had successful negotiations with Nawab Akbar Bugti with backing of the establishment. “But then the line came and the policy was changed”, he described.
Mushahid Syed said that he had raised the issue of missing persons at the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, adding that it was shameful to have missing persons even in the 21st century. “COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa said at NSC to legislate on the role of agencies against terrorism and espionage”, he added.
Mushahid Hussain said that he said in the NSC meeting to take the persons into custody on the both above charges but present them in court within 48 hours.
The lawmaker said he told the Prime Minister that a very good proposal has come from COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. “We cannot have double standards and should follow this suggestion.”
“People criticized and opposed, but the meeting was positive. We are not stuck, we have a regional strategic space. Let’s get out of fear because fear is a sign of weakness,” Mushahid Hussain Syed was quoted as saying.
Referring to the United States, Mushahid Hussain said that the superpower US lost the war in Afghanistan. “We have a chance to make our own policy and do not look at Washington,” he added.
About IMF agreement, the head of the Senate Defense Committee said that he went to the IMF 22 times but why don’t they think of an alternative.
“This is traditional thinking go and beg.” Referring to the issue of Afghanistan, he said that for 10 years he had been telling the United States that negotiations were the solution to Afghanistan. “Former COAS Ashfaq Kayani went to the White House with a 14-page paper that you cannot win the war in Afghanistan. The then US President Barrack Obama promised but did not have the courage to stand in front of the establishment as he was scared because his army will stand against him.”
The head of the Senate Defense Committee said that Pakistani armed forces and the nation rendered many sacrifices, adding that America and the West failed, only Pakistan Army won the war against terrorism. “This war was won by our army with the sacrifices of the nation which also had an event of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar.”
