ISLAMABAD: PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif asked the government on Friday to disclose terms of engagement with the United States under which the so-called war on terror was being fought.

He said at a press conference that the nation had the right to be informed about the covert agreements.

According to official estimates, he said, the country had suffered a loss of $69 billion during the war on terror and sacrificed thousands of lives. “But in return we are getting threats and being treated as an accused.”

He said flawed policies of the government formulated after bypassing parliament were responsible for the current situation. He also criticised the government for ignoring political parties while taking major decisions.

The government’s attitude, he said, encouraged violations of the country’s sovereignty.

Had the government taken a firm stand on the Raymond Davis issue, it would have received support from international community.

He said the CIA operative had been released in a mysterious manner.

He said it was meaningless to talk about self-respect, national pride and sovereignty without breaking the begging bowl.

He called for preparing a consensus economic agenda for 10 to 20 years and proposed an amendment to the constitution to put a bar on taking foreign loans. He said the consensus agenda would be binding on future governments and they would be required to follow it in letter and spirit.

“Anyone deviating from the agenda should be thrown out,” he said.

The PML-N chief said no single political party or individual could steer the country out of the present crisis, adding that only collective efforts could help the country adopt the path of self-reliance and economic stability.

He termed the Abbottabad operation carried out by US Navy Seals to kill Osama bin Laden a violation of national sovereignty and regretted that President Asif Ali Zardari had written an article praising the operation while Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani declared it a great victory.

Answering a question, he said the resolution adopted by the APC was an important message to the United States that the political and military leadership was united on national issues.

He said the people of Pakistan would defend the country’s territorial integrity with the might of a united nation.

“It is not possible to defeat the resolve of 180 million people,” he said.

He described the APC resolution as a test for the government and said he still had doubts if it would be implemented.

He said the government was undermining credibility of democracy just like former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf had damaged the credibility of the armed forces for the sake of his personal interests.

He said the people of the country were reeling under terrible inflation. Unemployment has touched new levels and the energy crisis was leading to closure of industries. The debt burden has exceeded $60 billion.

Mr Sharif urged the government to mend its ways, take steps to end corruption and implement decisions of the superior judiciary.