Top leadership considering resumption of NATO supply line

The country’s top leadership is considering resumption of NATO supplies after the United States appeared to be softening its stance on offering an apology for cross-border incursion that killed 24 Pakistan troops at Salala check-posts.

The civilian and military leadership held a sitting on Friday night to decide how Islamabad should respond fresh signals emerging from Washington suggesting some flexibility on the new position of America over the issue of an apology to Pakistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari chaired the sitting while Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam were also present.

The top leadership discussed wide range of issues including different aspects of US-Pak ties, resumption of NATO supply-line and law and order situation of the country.

Earlier, President Zardari summoned a meeting of coalition partners on Saturday to exchange views on proposal of normalizing relations with the United States and resumption of land route for allied forces battling in Afghanistan.

The allied parties had already had a discussion over the bilateral ties of Pakistan and United States.

According to a press statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), officers of Pakistan Army and NATO met in an area on the Pakistan-Afghan border on Friday to discuss the terms of resumptions.

Army Chief General Kayani informed the committee about matters discussed at the meeting with officials from allied forces.

According to the reports, the Pakistani officials were given assurances by the NATO officials that roads from Karachi to Torkham damaged by the movement of NATO trucks would be repaired and rebuilt.

Islamabad blocked the supply routes after NATO’s air strikes on the Salala checkpost which killed 24 troops in November last year.

It has linked the restoration of supply routes to an apology over the incident, which has not yet been forthcoming.

Earlier, media reports have quoted US military personnel as saying that the United States has been bearing billions of dollars of additional cost on supplies for allied forces by air and through alternative routes since the suspension of supplies via Pakistan.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jun 16 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.