ISLAMABAD ( WEB NEWS )
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday vowed to introduce a resolution in response to the United States House of Representatives’ call for an impartial probe into the allegations of election irregularities in Pakistan’s recent national polls on February 8, saying it was important for the country to assert its sovereignty.
The US lawmakers overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that urged Islamabad to uphold the democratic process and ensure the rule of law, freedom of media and speech.
The US resolution, which saw bipartisan support, followed the Pakistani elections marred by violence, communication blackouts and delayed results that led to allegations of rigging denied by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
“We will bring a resolution in response to the US resolution,” Dar said while addressing the National Assembly. “We must show our sovereignty. We must show our unity. We must show that we mean business. There is no sense to this [US resolution]. We can also criticize a number of things about other countries. But we refrain.”
“I believe that mutual dignity and respect is that they should reciprocate,” he continued. “We have taken notice of this, the draft resolution is ready. It will be shared with all the parliamentary leaders of both treasury benches and the opposition, and I would request that we must come in unity with a clear resolution in response to the US resolution.”
Dar said the National Assembly was currently busy passing the budget since it was a time-bound priority.
However, he noted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had allowed to move the resolution, which would be done as soon as the budget adoption process was complete by Friday evening.
Pakistan’s foreign office said a day earlier the US resolution was grounded in “an incomplete understanding of the political situation and electoral process in Pakistan.”
It noted the resolution’s timing and context clashed with the improving dynamics of bilateral ties.
“Such resolutions are therefore neither constructive nor objective,” it added.