Senate Defence Committee visits NATO & EU in Brussels Senator Mushahid Hussain says confusion in Western Policy towards Afghanistan must end, calls for regional approach & UN role Islamabad (February 1, 2014): A delegation of the Senate Defence Committee led by its Chairman, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels and held a meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Alexander Vershbow. During its stay in Brussels, the delegation also visited the European Union headquarters and the European Parliament, meeting Patricia Flor, EU Special Representative for Central Asia. Senator Mushahid Hussain also addressed an expert dinner round table on Prospects and Challenges for Pakistans Regional Security, which was attended by diplomats, parliamentarians and think tank experts. The European Parliamentarians met by the delegation included Michael Gahler, Head of EU Election Observers Mission, and Sajjad Karim, head of EU Friends of Pakistan, both of whom played a pivotal role in lobbying for EUs GSP+ status for Pakistan. During the interaction with the EU, Senator Mushahid Hussain thanked the European Parliament for their overwhelming approval of GSP Plus for Pakistan, which, he said, was a vote of confidence in Pakistans democratic view and Pakistans pivotal role in the current regional context. He said that this would boost trade between the EU and Pakistan and also be a stimulus for the revival of economy. Senator Mushahid Hussain said that Pakistan deserved more international support because the stability of Pakistan would contribute to regional security as well as be a plus for Pakistans role in facilitating the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. Senator Mushahid Hussain said that while the United States is spending 2.5 billion dollars every week on the war in Afghanistan, which comes to 10 billion dollars per month expenditure, the US was providing 7.5 billion dollars in assistance to Pakistan over a 5-year period, which, turned out to be less than one months expenditure for the Afghan war. He also referred to the dynamism of Pakistani society, especially role of youth, women and the private sector entrepreneurs, He express concern that the projected withdrawal of NATO in 2014 must not be an action replay of 1989 when there was a messy exist which resulted in a longer civil war in Afghanistan. Senator Mushahid Hussain called for a regional approach to Afghanistan involving all the 6 immediate neighbours of Afghanistan plus Russia and the United States and he underlined the need for considering United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Afghanistan after the NATO military exit to avoid any vacuum that could result in instability, violence and renewed civil strife. The Senate Defence Committee delegation comprises Senator Mushahid Hussain, Senator Chaudhry Shujat Hussain, Senator Sabir Baloch, Senator Haji Adeel and Senator Sehar Kamran.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 15:32:57 +0000
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