Pak to abstain from voting on Iraq resolution

March 11, 2003 14:26 IST

Faced with aggressive street protests in the country against war on Iraq, Pakistan has decided to abstain from voting on the second US-sponsored resolution in the UN Security Council authorising military action.

Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali's government has decided to abstain from voting on the resolution, Azeem Choudhary, a leader of the ruling pro-military Pakistan Muslim League (Q), said.

The decision of Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the UNSC, came after Russia and France announced they would veto the second resolution in its present form. China and Germany too have opposed the resolution.

The US had hoped to present the resolution in the Council on Tuesday, but it has been

"" href="https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/mar/11iraq.htm">delayed

as Washington had not yet won nine votes needed to pass the resolution.

Jamali himself skirted the issue of voting on Monday night after the Cabinet meeting but said Pakistan had decided "not" to support any move that seeks to attack Iraq and create problems for its people.

"I want to take parliament into confidence and tell the parliamentarians that Pakistan will not become a party to any decision which leads to bloodshed in Iraq," Jamali said in the national assembly.

K J M Varma in Islamabad