* President hopes problems in Balochistan will be resolved by year-end * Seeks global consensus against spy games in Kabul
* Ready to shed powers for sovereignty of parliament
* Ready to shed powers for sovereignty of parliament
LAHORE: The United States has assured Pakistan it will not carry out drone attacks in Balochistan, President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview with Daily Times Editor Najam Sethi for Dunya TV on Wednesday.
Not only the people of Pakistan, but also the government is concerned over the drone attacks, Zardari said. He said the US had incorporated several of Pakistans suggestions in its new policy for Afghanistan, but the two countries disagreed on the drone strikes. However, he said Washington has assured us it will not carry out drone attacks in Balochistan.
Balochistan problems: The president said his government wanted to develop a consensus in parliament on how to solve the problems in Balochistan, and hoped the issue would be resolved by the end of this year. Zardari said the number of missing people in Balochistan was neither in the thousands nor in the hundreds. There are a few people, he said, adding they would be released after the due process of law. The president said the government was looking at the results of the Swat peace deal and future decisions would be made accordingly. The NWFP government believed Sufi Muhammad was reconcilable, he said.
Zardari hoped dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi would resume after elections in India. He said his bold peace overtures to India received no positive response, and the Mumbai terrorist attack last year stalled the peace talks. He also referred to a 30 percent increase in the Indian defence budget.
Spy games: Regarding concerns of increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan, the president said a number of international intelligence agencies were involved in spy games in Kabul and there was a need for a global consensus to end the practice. About his decision to run for president despite being the PPP co-chairman, Zardari said he had his sight on a senior PPP leader an MNA from Sindh, but the party decided he was a more suitable candidate. But the president said he believed in supremacy of the parliament and was ready to give up his powers for the purpose.
He said his government wanted to reinstate Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after the retirement of Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar because he could not constitutionally remove a chief justice. Asked why he had not included that in his agreement with Nawaz Sharif, Zardari said he had only made a political understanding with Nawaz, who had been a little aggressive.
Asked if he was ready to resolve the issue of the Sharif brothers electoral eligibility through an ordinance, Zardari said his legal advisers believed the president could end a punishment with a pardon but could not end a conviction. Asked if his government would try Musharraf for treason, he said his party believed in looking forward in line with Benazir Bhuttos policy of reconciliation.
The PPP co-chairman said the PML-N had agreed to pass a parliamentary resolution of an apology for Zukfikar Ali Bhuttos judicial murder, but backed out later.
