ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: Senior Pakistani diplomats on Tuesday pitched for a complete recast of ties with Washington, proposing reconsideration and annulment of a number of agreements made during the Musharraf era and reducing reliance on American aid.

These and other steps for revisiting terms of engagement with the US have been detailed in the policy recommendations finalised at the end of the two-day envoys’ conference, which was convened to deliberate on relations with America in the aftermath of the Nov 26 attacks on border posts -- something that in the words of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani “constitutes a huge setback to the prospects of much-needed cooperation”.

Streamlining of the recommendations, which have not been made public, will commence on Thursday with a meeting ‘in camera’ of the bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) to debate them. From the PCNS, the proposals will go to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament.

“The document prepared at the envoys’ conference gives a good sense of how we intend to see our ties with the US in future,” one of the ambassadors who participated in the exercise said after the proceedings.

Sharing the broader contours of the recommendations made by the conference, the ambassador said it called for codifying the relationship, introducing transparency into it, shifting the focus from getting aid and lowering expectations.

Principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country have been reaffirmed as the red line in the proposed measures in addition to asking for basing the Washington-Islamabad equation on mutual respect and interest.

This was also echoed by Prime Minister Gilani, who at the concluding session said: “Under no circumstances could we accept flagrant transgression of our territorial frontiers. This remains our baseline and there can be no compromise on sovereignty, dignity and national honour.

“It has been our consistent effort to… develop the best of relations. Sovereign equality, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation have been the hallmarks of this approach.”

The agreements whose annulment or reconsideration has been proposed include a tacit understanding on drone attacks in Fata; blanket overflight and landing rights for US military and intelligence operations; provision of territorial access to US military and intelligence personnel; permission to transport Nato supplies through Pakistan; and a number of other secret accords made in 2002 after 9/11.

BASE FACTOR: In the context of the regional environment, the envoys apprehended that the US was not serious about reconciliation with Taliban and its efforts to negotiate a pact with Kabul for long-term bases complicated the peace talks.

“Implications are obvious for us. This aspect will be reviewed by parliament,” another participant said.

The ambassadors saw the issue of US bases in Afghanistan in the context of the perceived ‘encirclement of China’.

Mr Gilani, in his concluding remarks, underscored the need for peaceful settlement of the Afghan issue.

“Satisfactory resolution of the issues relating to Afghanistan poses daunting challenges not only to the region but to the international community as a whole. At this particular point in time, it is imperative that all efforts should be directed to promoting durable stability and peace in Afghanistan.”

However, the prime minister’s assertion that “we have continued to seek clarity and advocated the need for coherence, coordination and cooperation” reflected the frustration within his government about the US not playing ball with Pakistan on a settlement with Taliban.

Equally significant was a proposal on addressing the issue of Afghan refugees. Close to 1.7 million refugees are still in Pakistan and some of them have been found involved in terrorist activities.

The prime minister also referred to the refugee issue, though just in the context of having hosted them for over three decades.