Thaindian News

Islamabad, March 20 (IANS) A parliamentary panel Tuesday recommended to the Pakistani government to seek an unconditional apology from the US over the airstrikes on border posts that killed 24 soldiers in November last year.

The report of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, tabled in parliament, also called for halt to US drone attacks and other operations on Pakistan’s soil, reported Online news agency.

It called upon Washington to review its presence in the region, according to the recommendations presented to the joint session of the Parliament.

The much awaited recommendations of the parliamentary committee on Pakistan’s national security tasked to compile recommendations for new terms of engagement with US in the aftermath of the US raid on Pakistani posts that killed 24 soldiers was tabled in the joint session of parliament Tuesday.

Head of the Parliamentary Committee on the National Security and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani tabled the report which consists of 40 recommendations.

The report calls for end to drone attacks as they proved counterproductive, fanning anti-American sentiments and inflicting colossal financial losses to Pakistan.

It also said that there would no US boot on ground in Pakistan and any operation on its territory would not be tolerated without prior consent of the parliament.

The report said that taxes be levied on NATO supplies and added that the supplies routes should not be opened before an agreement is reached in this regard.

It insisted that any covert or overt operation on Pakistani soil would need parliament’s approval.

It said that the US-India civil nuclear deal affected regional balance of power and called for the US to help Pakistan in the same manner so that it could get rid of energy crises.

Pakistan has also sought unconditional apology from the US over the attack on military check posts in Mohmand Agency in November last year.

Pakistan-US ties have come under immense strains for months over Osama bin Laden’s killing in Abbottabad last May and the deadly NATO attack on Salala checkpost bordering Afghanistan in November last year, prompting Islamabad to block the NATO supplies.