Islamabad, Dec 15 (IANS) Pakistan took bold decisions after a NATO air strike left two dozen soldiers dead, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
Malik on Wednesday said in Peshawar that the government had taken bold decisions at the right time after the Nov 26 NATO strike in Mohmand Agency on two Pakistan Army checkposts and made it clear to the world that Pakistan will not compromise on its sovereignty.
The death of 24 Pakistani soldiers in the NATO attack caused outrage in the country. Islamabad cut off NATO supplies through the country, ordered the US to vacate a key airbase and boycotted an international conference that focussed on Afghanistan's future.
The Interior Minister said Pakistan will never compromise on its sovereignty and will protect its interest at all costs. Malik added that following the NATO air strike, the government had taken bold and timely decisions that reflect the aspirations of the nation.
Pakistan must act with maturity: Daily
It is about time Pakistan "pragmatically viewed its failures and successes with the international community and formulated its foreign policy", a leading Pakistani daily said on Thursday as it called for the country to act with maturity.
An editorial in the Dawn said if Pakistan's foreign policy is "a mirror image of its internal needs and aspirations, it took the government quite long to call in its envoys for a review of its interaction with the outside world".
A two-day conference of Pakistani envoys deliberated on different aspects of the country's foreign policy with special focus on reviewing the relationship with the US and NATO. The conference was called after the US-led NATO fighter jets and helicopters carried out what Pakistani leaders viewed as an intentional attack on two border posts in the country's Mohmand tribal region bordering Afghanistan, leaving 24 soldiers dead.
The editorial said: "...The ambassadors have given their recommendations. These will be discussed by parliament in an in camera session. Parliament is ultimately going to provide the `new policy' with an official seal."
"There is considerable truth to the assertion that the sudden urge for a review of foreign policy is rooted in long years of abject submission to the interests of the outside world," it added.
The editorial went on to say that Pakistan has been "unable to do what it has repeatedly promised the international community - not only on the terror front but also in other areas such as the economy".
"The envoys' conference was tasked with restoring the critical balance and restoring to Pakistan the position of a responsible state, one that is able to honour its pledges to the outside world, especially in contributing to the battle against militancy and poverty, while safeguarding its national interests.
"In the case of a state that suspects easily and is suspected universally, this becomes hard to achieve. It is about time Pakistan pragmatically viewed its failures and successes with the international community and formulated its foreign policy accordingly. Even in the face of angry public sentiment it must act maturely."
