AMRAIZ KHAN
LAHORE – Former foreign minister Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali said here on Saturday that Pakistan’s foreign policy “is always run by the military establishment and the political governments compromise with the [Army] establishment.”
“The governments which do not compromise their leaders have to face consequences in the shape of Mansoor Ijaz,” said the former FM while addressing a seminar on the topic of “Diplomatic Reporting and National Interests”, held under the aegis of Hameed Nizami Press Institute of Pakistan. Former Ambassador to the US, Syeda Abida Hussain, former Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan and Electronic Media Association President Tanveer Shehzad also spoke on the occasion.
HNPIP Director Absar Abdul Ali presented the introductory note on the topic and presented the welcome address. Sardar Aseef while signalling towards a powerful quarter in Rawalpindi said that they wanted to run the Indian and Afghan policy according to their own wishes. “A convoy of almost 26 vehicles escorts each of our Corps Commanders. Is that justified?” He questioned the Army officials that if Mullah Umar and Haqqani were their favourites, they should fight war on the land of Afghanistan. “Why have they put the integrity of Pakistan at strake by fighting war on our own soil?” He said, “We must not make America our enemy deliberately because in this way Pakistan will go into isolation internationally. “We have privatized Jihad in Pakistan and media also accepted it. We are making recruitment of Jihadis in the name of Kashmir issue.”
He said that Jihadis were being imparted training in Lahore. He refuted the impression that country could be safeguarded with the help of latest Atomic weapons, Ideology or Ideological Army, Sardar presented examples at international level wherein certain countries could not survived with above three qualities. He said that only professional Army could do so and governments could survive with limited desires and caring its masses. He said that reason behind the fall of Soviet Union was that her Revenues were squeezed and structure was expanded.
Speaking on the occasion Syeda Abida Husain said that some reporters work responsibly while others do not. She said that most of the Ambassadors of Pakistan appointed in America were journalists and many journalists were holly cows. She said that accompanying reporters by Prime Minister with him on international tour was not fair rather Newspapers owners should manage the tickets of their reporters at their own. She was of the view that a media group owner spent Rs. One billion on the wedding ceremony of his son in Dubai why he could not provide a ticket to his reporter to accompany Prime Minister on international tour. She was of the view that Prime Minister should apologize from the nation on the arrest of his media advisor involved in corruption of Rs. Millions.
She said that 18th amendment was defective wherein more powers were delegated to Prime Minister and balance of power was disturbed between President and Prime Minister. She opposed the reserved seats of women in assemblies. She said that all family members of Prime Minister have become leaders.
Former secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan said that Constitution of 1973 was illegal since the rulers who had framed this constitution did not authorised to do so and they had not mandate to do so. He said that they were the people who disintegrated the country and they added the things in constituted which suited them more. He said that foreign policy was a set of national interests and said that the country having corruption everywhere could have no foreign policy. He said that Accuracy, objectivity, truth, balance and fairness were common values of diplomacy and reporting.
Tanveer Shahzad said that in Pakistan personal interest was being declared as national interest in Pakistan. He was of the view that there must be some training programs under the aegis of Ministry information for journalists.