Qamar Zaman Kaira confirms resumption of NATO supplies

Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has confirmed the resumption of NATO supply line which has been blocked since November 2011.

Briefing the media late on Tuesday, he observed, “The meeting of Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) has decided to reopen the NATO supplies”.

Pakistan official announced the decision to restore the supply line for allied forces battling in Afghanistan after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said sorry on behalf of the United States (US) for losses suffered by the Pakistan army in Salala check-post attack.

She also said that Pakistan was reopening the supplies for joint forces, which have been blocked since November when NATO attacks killed 24 Pakistani troops. The refusal from the US to offer official apology aggravated already troubled relationships between the two countries.

The latest development will come as a relief to the United States and its allied countries which need the routes for a planned withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014.

Earlier, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf headed the meeting which reviewed the issue of restoration of NATO supplies. Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Maj Gen Zahreer ul Islam and senior officials were also present in the meeting.

An official statement from the prime minister’s office said: “The DCC also decided that no lethal cargo will go into Afghanistan except equipment for Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), essential for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan. The DCC reconfirmed that Pakistan will continue not to charge any transit fee but the issue in the first place was not of financial gains but of the principle of sovereignty”.

Information Minister Kaira speaking to the media after the meeting said that Pakistan had made it clear to the United States that it would not tolerate any repetition of incidents likewise the Salala check-post attack.

He also stated that they were not happy over blocking the supplies, as it was negatively affecting relations with the US and other NATO countries.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=28101

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jul 4 2012. Filed under 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.