Pak leaders, military, envoys discuss foreign policy revamp

Pakistani envoys posted in key world capitals, including New Delhi and Beijing, gathered in Islamabad on Monday with top political and military leaders for a meeting that will provide inputs for a proposed foreign policy revamp.

Envoys in 15 countries, including India, China, Germany and Saudi Arabia, are attending the two-day meeting that will discuss different aspects of Pakistan's foreign policy and make recommendations for refashioning Islamabad's ties with key countries like the US and India, officials said.

Monday's session, chaired by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, was attended by Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne and Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh.

Ambassador-designate to the US Sherry Rehman, too attended the meeting. The foreign office convened the meeting after Prime

Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called for a sweeping overhaul of Pakistan's policy for the war on terrorism and ties with the US and other countries in the wake of the cross-border NATO attack on November 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Sources said the ISI chief and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee briefed the meeting on the NATO air strike, which military officials have described as a "unprovoked act of blatant aggression", the current status of military ties with the US and the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The military officials also gave the gathering the army's perspective on Pakistan's current stand on the war on terrorism and the impact of the decision to close all NATO supply routes and to ask the US to vacate the Shamsi airbase, which was reportedly used by CIA-operated drones.

American personnel yesterday completed the vacation of the airfield, meeting a Pakistani deadline. Prime Minister Gilani and Raza Rabbani, the head of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, are expected to attend Tuesday's session of the meeting.

The envoys will then finalise recommendations for the proposed foreign policy revamp. Gilani recently asked the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to also give its recommendations for new terms of engagement on key foreign policy issues, including ties with the US and the Kashmir dispute.

These recommendations will be debated during a joint session of both houses of Parliament, Gilani has said.