There is no free lunch: Resumption of NATO oil supplies link with surcharge

There is no free lunch: Resumption of NATO oil supplies link with surcharge

‘There is no free lunch’ is a famous American adage that what it is facing today. Pakistani Defence Minister, Ahmed Mukhtar, clearly stated that the supply to NATO/ISAF forces will only be resumed if they pay the road surcharge as per the international rules.

If we look this in another perspective, it seems that the minister appears to be fixing a price for the soldiers, embraced martyrdoms at Salaleh check posts, in Mohmand Agency. It is worth mentioning here that All Parties Conference (APC) had asked to permanently
disconnect the supplies.

We are a changeable lot if we offer our review in exchange for a vat of cash after showing our commitment for a permanent closure. The defence minister speaks about paying the road surcharge but looks to have forgotten about the unpaid add-on from the day
first allied forces established supply line.

A few days ago, Federal Minister for Communication, Dr. Arbab Alamgir estimated the road damage up to Rs 110 billion. The overdue amount should be recovered in order to renovate the broken down infrastructure.

Presently, the highways, which were under used by the allied forces, are in ruinations and of no use for local traffic.

The defence minister also vowed to continue the war against terror even after departure of the America from the region.

While Pakistan will continue to redress its problems as it sees fit, Ahmed Mukhtar must realize that association with war against militancy is hardly a good strategy to overcome these problems being faced by the country.

One should not forget that Pakistan was a much more secure state before joining hands with the US in the war on terror.

Terrorism ripped out cities and the life and limb are at risk, since than we became front-line ally of America. Revenge strikes to drone attacks are also taking the lives of Pakistani people. On the other hand, this militancy and chaos are also destroying
our economy. Pakistan did not have as much worst image before the international community what it has today.

No matter what our allies want to do in future, we should focus on our own needs. Pakistan is required to concentrate inconsiderately on its own protection in order to redress its issues.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=7682

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Dec 29 2011. Filed under Opinion, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry