Awami National Party’s Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash has questioned the response of the military to the Kerry-Lugar Bill. Speaking during a session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Bangash called the reaction of the Corps Commanders to the Kerry-Lugar Bill ‘unwanted’. He asked why the military commanders would give a statement on the bill while the parliament had not concluded its debate on the same. He criticized the K-L Bill as an attempt to create a rift between the democratic and defense wings of the country.

The bill was also criticized by other senators who saw it as a potential threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty. Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah even claimed that the bill had been drafted by India and passed by the US for Pakistan. Senator Abbas Khan Afridi took a more moderate position and said that although the bill had some questionable clauses, it should nevertheless be accepted for the sake of people’s welfare. He also underscored the need for avoiding criticism out of emotion instead of one without sound reason