As reported in The Nation on January 20, Khurram Dastgir, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce, has revealed to the paper that during the last few months, Pakistan has been under tremendous pressure to finalise the draft of the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA). He says the Parliament has already discussed and opposed it for being against the countrys interest. Furthermore, a federal Minister is also reported to have declared it a 'security risk. However, according to Khurram Dastgir, our authorities look like buckling under the intense US pressure on the issue and may, after all, finalise the agreement. If that happens, it will be a shameful mockery of the supremacy of our Parliament. It is bad enough that our government has been unable to convince the Americans to stop drone attacks or to get them to transfer the technology and operation to Pakistan. But providing them with a land corridor in present circumstances would be tantamount to opening up our country to them for launching terrorist activities from within as well. The Indian army chief has expressed his aggressive designs and Indian troops have already killed two of our soldiers in an unprovoked incident of firing at the line of control. In the present atmosphere of hostility, demands for any more concessions to the US and its accomplices in the region should be rejected point-blank. So far, our rulers have been busy, almost full-time, playing games of power with out paying heed to peoples problems. But this concerns security of the realm that is paramount. -S. R. H. HASHMI, Karachi, January 20.