Pakistan suffered losses from US ties: politicians

KARACHI: Pakistan suffered losses as a result of its ties with the United States, according to the views of some of the participants representing various political parties at a Geo News debate programme on Pak-US ties on Sunday.

Other politicians taking part in the debate put the blame of the losses to Pakistan arising out of its relations with the US on our own leaders. They, however, added that Pakistan did derive some benefits from its ties with America.

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Jamat-e-Islami said Pakistan’s ties with the US caused losses to the former.

However, Sherry Rehman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) observed that Pakistan had relations with the US as an independent state and Pakistan too gained out of this bond.

To a question, the participants agreed that US backing was responsible for promoting dictatorship in Pakistan. However, MQM’s Haider Abbas Rizvi did support this viewpoint.

All the participants with the exception of one said that Pakistan’s ‘establishment’ was mostly responsible for promoting religious extremism in the country. Fareed Paracha opined that major responsibility of this falls on the US.

Some of the debaters expressed the hope that the US would put a halt on drone attacks in Pakistan. However, Sherry Rehman, Haider Abbas Rizvi and Shahi Syed did not think so.