Islamabad to link NATO supplies to halt in U.S. drone strikes

Islamabad, July 16 (ANI): Pakistan has decided to link U.S. drone attacks with the NATO supplies to Afghanistan, sources have said.

According to sources, this decision was taken during a high-level informal meeting held at the Presidency, which was chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and participated by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani , ISI DG Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam, foreign secretary and Pakistan's ambassador to U.S. Sherry Rehman, reports The Nation.

The meeting discussed technical details of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that Pakistan and the U.S. are to sign soon.

Sources said the civilian and military leadership decided to link U.S. drone attacks with NATO supplies in line with the parliamentary recommendations which empowers the government to suspend NATO supplies through Pakistan if the U.S. continued with drone strikes.

Likewise, the meeting decided to include rebuilding of highways used by the NATO trucks and that the cost should be borne by the NATO members. These proposals would be taken up with the U.S. authorities to formalise the MoU to streamline NATO ground supplies to Afghanistan, the sources added.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Mark Stroh confirmed progress in realising a MoU between Pakistan and the U.S. for formalising the restoration of NATO supplies. However, he said the MoU has yet to be given a final shape. (ANI)