Pakistan isolated as it promotes non-state actors: PPP

Pakistan is diplomatically isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors, PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan said on Thursday.

"The government has been completely unsuccessful in imposing restrictions on non-state actors according to the National Action Plan (NPA)," the Dawn newspaper quoted Ahsan as telling a joint session of Parliament.

The Pakistan Peoples Party leader implied that such non-state actors continued to hold protests and rallies and give speeches in places such as Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi.

"I don't want instability in any country, as the blame of that will then fall on us because of these non-state actors," he said.

The Senator slammed the cabinet's denial of Pakistani involvement in the terror attack on the Indian military camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that left 19 soldiers dead.

Saying Pakistan had no hand in the Uri attack was not a categorical denial, Aitzaz said, adding the phrase implied "we don't know if our non-state actors are behind it".

"When you cannot completely implement NAP and then something like this happens, the blame will fall on Pakistan and we will be isolated. Then Bangladesh and Afghanistan will not speak to you, and Bhutan and Nepal will begin supporting India," Dawn quoted him as saying.

"You have isolated Pakistan," he said. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was responsible for Pakistan's diplomatic isolation as he was also the Foreign Minister.

"Pakistan's isolation is Nawaz Sharif's personal failure," he said. "Why is Pakistan isolated now? It is because you have given freedom to non-state actors."

A special Parliament session is taking place in the wake of India's surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani territory that left an unspecified number of people dead.

--IANS

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