Pak's isolation is Sharif's personal failure: opposition

A senior Pakistani opposition leader today strongly criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for giving freedom to "non-state actors" that has led to the country's diplomatic isolation following the Uri terror attack.
"Pakistan's isolation is Nawaz Sharif's personal failure," Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan said during a joint session of parliament.
"Pakistan is isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors," he said, adding that the government has been "completely unsuccessful in imposing restrictions on non-state actors according to the National Action Plan.
Ahsan said he does not want instability in any country, as the "blame of that will then fall on us because of these non-state actors".

The PPP senator also slammed the cabinet's denial of Pakistani involvement in the Uri attack. He said using the phrase "we believe Pakistan has no hand in the Uri attack" is not a categorical denial and implies instead that "we don't know if our non-state actors are behind it".
"When you cannot completely implement NAP (National Action Plan) 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.

"You have isolated Pakistan," he said, blaming Sharif for Pakistan's diplomatic isolation since the Prime Minister is also the foreign minister.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Senate Committee, set up to formulate policy guidelines for the government on relations with India particularly on the Kashmir issue, has sought backchannel talks between the two countries amid tensions following the Uri attack and the retaliatory surgical strikes.
"Keeping in view the need, efficacy and usefulness of backchannel talks between India and Pakistan, the talks should be restored. The bilateral and Kashmir-related confidence- building measures need to be restored and expanded," the Dawn cited the Committee as saying in one of 22 recommendations it approved yesterday.
The senators underlined the need for working "towards bringing about a climate in which both Pakistan and India can implement politically difficult decisions to build mutual trust and confidence, leading towards an honourable and amicable settlement" of the Kashmir issue besides peace, stability and the welfare of the people.

The Committee called for setting up an international fact-finding commission to probe the Uri terror attack and "rights violations" in Kashmir.
Besides calling for restoration of backchannel talks, the committee recommended that the two nuclear-armed neighbours "should prompt a serious caution and restraint when faced with over-provocation", the report said.
Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani had referred the issue to the committee, comprising all members of the house, following escalation of tension between the two countries after the September 18 attack on the Indian Army base in Kashmir's Uri, it said.