Foreign policy issues with Afghanistan have to be decided by federation, not province: Irfan Siddiqui

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, Senator Irfan Siddiqui Friday said any foreign policy matters with Afghanistan have to be decided by the federation not province.

Talking to media outside parliament house, Irfan Siddiqui criticized Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur for discussing foreign policy matters with the Afghan Counsel General and said that no province can negotiate with any country without obtaining permission from the federation.

CM KP’s statements regarding ‘solo talks’ with Afghanistan and his meeting with the Afghan Counsel General to discuss foreign policy was a new tradition being introduced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf like many new traditions, he said while expressing his astonishment.

“The PTI is setting a very dangerous precedent by trying to decide its own foreign policy with Afghanistan that no one did in the history which is highly deplorable”, he said.

He said that each province cannot make its own foreign policy. If Punjab shares border with India, can Punjab decide its own foreign policy with India? Can Sindh settle foreign affair matters with India or other countries on its own?

Balochistan shares its borders with Afghanistan and Iran while Gilgit-Baltistan shares borders with China. How can each province make its own foreign policy, he questioned.

In 1966 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented six points but he also did not touch currency, foreign affairs and defence sections, saying these will remain with the federation, Irfan Siddiqui referred.

  “We also reserve the right to protest to the Afghanistan government that if they do any conspiracy with the provincial units without taking our federation and foreign office into confidence as it is a violation of international agreements and diplomatic etiquette”.

“We can ignore abuse and disgracing, we can ignore PTI leaders derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Punjab, but we will not allow Pakistan’s security and defense and foreign affairs policy to become a farce in any one’s hands”, he said.

He said the PTI wrote letters to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), washed its dirty linen in front of the world, protested outside IMF office and tried to block country’s funds.

Similary, the PTI did something unprecedented in history by making a joke of the cipher, obstructing country’s diplomacy and moaning before US Congress to get resolution passed in its favour, he said.