Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the parliamentary review of Pakistan-US relations after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
Pakistani lawmakers will gather for a crucial joint session of parliament on March 19 to debate new terms of engagement with the US and to reset bilateral ties after a string of crises that took relations to an all-time low
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the parliamentary review of Pakistan-US relations after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
Even before the attack that the US said was unintentional, bilateral ties had been buffeted by the gunning down of two Pakistani men by a CIA contractor and the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year.
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security has framed recommendations for the new terms of engagement with the US and NATO that will be taken up during the joint session of the Senate and National Assembly next week.
Following an address to a joint session of parliament tomorrow by President Asif Ali Zardari, lawmakers will debate relations with the US from March 19, Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit said today.
"This is the first time in our history that the executive has asked the parliament to give guidelines on a foreign policy matter and this is very significant," Basit said during a weekly news briefing.
"Whatever comes out of this process will be far-reaching and will represent the aspirations of our people. So, we attach immense importance to this process," he underlined.
The joint session of parliament is expected to define new parameters for Pakistan's foreign policy and to decide on key issues like reopening NATO supply routes to Afghanistan, which were closed after last year’s air strike.
The parliamentary review will be different from other consultations as the representatives of the people will provide "direct inputs" for framing guidelines for foreign policy, Basit said.
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