National reconciliation is the need of the hour:Senator Mushahid Hussain

Islamabad: Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain, has said that national reconciliation is the need of the hour and Pakistan’s problems can only be solved collectively, not by any single individual, party, government or institution alone. He was addressing members of the Provincial Assembly of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during a special lecture organised here today at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies (PIPS).

He said ever since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan had been in the eye of the storm and Pakhtuns had suffered the most due to wars, conflicts and terrorism. He lauded the Pakhtuns for their hard work, their sacrifices, their democratic and egalitarian culture. He praised the award of Nobel Peace Prize to Malala Yousafzai terming it as an honour for Pakistan and all women as well.
Referring to his recent visit to southeast Asian countries, Senator Mushahid Hussain talked of the Cambodian model of reconciliation where the government and opposition had worked out ‘rules of the game’, sharing power and responsibility according to their mandate,,because both sides felt that continued strife and divisions were not in the national interest.

He said Pakistan too must have genuine reconciliation with a large-hearted approach from the government, which should extend the hand of friendship to the opposition since partisan interests must be subordinate to Pakistan’s interests.

Senator Mushahid Hussain said the report by the American Senate had exposed the CIA role in torture which was a violation of America’s own Constitution as well as international law and the UN Charter.

Referring to the regional situation, he said Pakistan was playing a pivotal role and he welcomed President Ashraf Ghani’s positive approach towards Pakistan, which is good for peace, security and stability for the region. However, he said the biggest threat to regional peace came from the negative, biased and bigoted attitude of the Modi regime in India which is based on a hardline anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim agenda. He cited the negative media campaign against the Pakistan hockey team which defeated India, as an example of the impact of such wrong policies of the Indian government.