Islamabad, May 14: As a cornered Pakistan faced all- round flak for its failure to detect Osama bin Laden's presence on its soil, its Parliament Saturday slammed the US raid that killed him and warned that the transit facility to Afghan-based NATO forces would be withdrawn if "unilateral" American actions like drone strikes continued.
 The warning was part of a resolution adopted early this morning following a marathon 11-hour joint session of the two houses of Parliament that was briefed by top military officials on the covert American operation against the al-Qaeda chief in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2.
 The Parliament also demanded that the government appoint "an independent commission on the Abbottabad operation, fix responsibility and recommend necessary measures to ensure that such an incident does not recur."
 The resolution condemned the "US unilateral action" against the most-wanted man, saying it "constitutes a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty."
 The Parliament said "unilateral actions, such as those conducted by the US forces in Abbottabad, as well as the continued drone attacks on the territory of Pakistan, are not only unacceptable but also constitute violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and humanitarian norms."
 If the drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal belt are not "stopped forthwith," the government "will be constrained to consider taking necessary steps, including withdrawal of transit facility allowed to NATO/ISAF forces (in Afghanistan)," the resolution said.
 The resolution called on the government to "re-visit and review its terms of engagement with the United States with a view to ensuring that Pakistan's national interests are fully respected and accommodated in pursuit of policies for countering terrorism and achieving reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan."
 Top military officers, including the ISI chief, Director General of Military Operations Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed and deputy air force chief Air Vice Marshal Asim Suleman faced stinging questions from lawmakers during the session held behind closed doors.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:00 IST