The lower house of the Pakistani Parliament (National Assembly) on Friday passed a resolution in response to the resolution of the US House of Representatives on Pakistan.
According to the draft resolution provided to Independent Urdu by the National Assembly Secretariat, 'The House is taking notice of the resolution passed in the US House of Representatives on June 25, 2024, expressing support for democracy in Pakistan.'
In the resolution presented before the House by Member National Assembly Shaista Pervez Malik, it was said that “Pakistan is in accordance with the spirit of the 1973 Constitution to uphold the universal principles of democracy and the basic human rights contained in it, the aspirations of the people and our founders.” To protect and uphold the relevant principles in accordance with the vision of Pakistan and to reiterate Pakistan's commitment to building a more stable democratic society.'
In the text of the resolution, 'the resolution of the US House of Representatives is clearly described as a regrettable result of incomplete and misunderstanding of Pakistan's political and electoral process.
“This resolution does not recognize the free exercise of voting rights of millions of Pakistanis in the general elections to be held on February 8, 2024.”
According to the resolution, as a country, 'Pakistan will not accept any kind of interference in its internal affairs.'
However, the resolution also states that 'this House reaffirms its commitment to a strong bilateral relationship with the United States based on equality based on mutual respect and cooperation.'
The resolution also expressed the hope that in the future, the US Congress will play a better role in strengthening Pakistan-US bilateral relations by focusing on cooperation for the mutual benefit of both our people and countries.
Before the resolution was presented, Shaista Pervez Malik said to them, 'Shame on you, these people are encouraging interference, the sovereignty of your country is in question.'
During the presentation of the resolution, it was opposed by the members of the National Assembly of the Sunni Ittehad Council and loud sloganeering was also raised in the House. However, the resolution was passed by majority vote.
A member of the Pakistan People's Party, Shaghfata Jumani, said, 'We are warning America, don't interfere in our domain. Shame on those people who were talking about interference yesterday and are doing this.'
Muslim League-N's Barrister Aqeel Malik while addressing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf said, 'The resolution was passed in America because of their lobbying. They always talk about breaking the country, this is the party that talks about absolutely not and today these people have opposed the resolution.'
Aqeel Malik added, 'They are playing a role against the sovereignty of the country. They are traitors to the country, bring resolution through lobbying.'
MNA Asia Ishaq said 'Today this House has called America absolutely not, no country has the courage to interfere in Pakistan.'
Independent Urdu has contacted the American Embassy in Pakistan to take a stand on this resolution, but has not yet received a response from them.
Background
Republican member Richard McCormick and Congressman Dean Culdee presented a resolution in the US House of Representatives on June 25, the main points of which are the demand for a full and independent investigation of alleged irregularities or interference in the general elections of February 8, 2024, democracy. In addition to support, this includes protecting human rights, freedom of expression and ensuring public participation in the democratic process.
368 members of the US House of Representatives demanded an independent and thorough investigation into 'interference or irregularities' in the February 8 general elections in Pakistan, while seven members opposed it.
Resolution 901 stated that the House of Representatives 'condemns any attempt to subvert the political, electoral or judicial process of Pakistan.' However, it is not clear who wants to destroy the political or judicial process.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, said that the resolution passed in the American House of Representatives will be answered by the House.
Ishaq Dar said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given a response to the resolution passed by the US House of Representatives this week, which was also released to the media.
It is the government's intention that we will bring a resolution against this resolution. We must show our independence and unity. This is not a joke. We can also criticize 50 things here regarding other countries, but we don't.
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Ishaq Dar further said that 'We have taken notice of this (resolution), the draft of this resolution is ready, which will be shared with the parliamentary leader and the opposition. My request is that we have to show unity by bringing a mandatory resolution in response to this American resolution.
On the resolution of the US House of Representatives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said in a statement on Wednesday that 'this time and context is not compatible with the positive aspects of bilateral relations.'
The Foreign Office said in its statement that 'Pakistan has taken notice of the approval of House Resolution 901 by the US House of Representatives on June 25.'
“Pakistan, as the world's second largest parliamentary democracy and fifth largest overall, is committed to the values of constitutionalism, human rights and rule of law in our own national interest,” it added.
The Foreign Office also said that 'We believe in constructive discussions and meetings based on mutual respect and understanding. Therefore, such resolutions are neither constructive nor purposeful. We hope that the US Congress will play a supportive role in strengthening Pakistan-US relations and focus on mutual cooperation that will benefit both our people and countries.
Barrister Gauhar Khan, Chairman of the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the National Assembly, had indicated his opposition to the presentation of the said resolution in the National Assembly.
PTI has been calling the general elections of February 8, 2024 non-transparent, while some countries, including the United States, have also raised questions about the recent elections in Pakistan.
