PESHAWAR, Dec 7: Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf`s politics of agitation over a foreign policy issue and the support of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to it are illegal and unconstitutional with the potential to harm Pakistan`s international relations, according to analysts.

When contacted, university professors of international relations and political science said the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation shipments` blockade via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by PTI and its allies had set a`dangerous`precedentof a provinces infringing on the federal government`s authority.

`This is a direct intervention in the federal government`s foreign policy making authority,` said Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi, a defence and political analyst.

What`s happening in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he added, was the first example in Pakistan`s history because never before any province intervened in foreign policy matters in which provinces had no constitutional role.

PTI and its allies forming the ruling coalition government in KhyberPakhtunkhwa have set up Nato supply disruption camps at five places in four districts of the province with a demand from the US to stop drone attacks in Pakistan.

Their protests have halted Nato supplies to and from Afghanistan via Torkham border check post since November 23.

Like Dr Rizvi, Dr Hussain Shaheed Suharwardi, a professor of the University of Peshawar`s international relations department, believe that provinces can carry forward the country`s `soft` foreign policy, but they cannot adopt a discourse over a matter that pertains to its `hard` foreign policy.

Provinces can arrange friendly matches with teams from other countries. They can enter into economic agreements with other countries like Punjab signed a few with Turkey.

`Provinces can lobby over a matter or use soft pressure tactics to effect change(s) in the federal government`s policy, but, by no authority, they can dictate their terms to the federal governmentover foreign policy matters,` said Dr Suharwardi, `what has been happening here is illegal and unconstitutional.

`I am a PTI exponent. My vote is for them, but I have told them that they are on the wrong footing on this issue,` he said.

Mr Suharwardi`s words were echoed by Dr Sarfaraz Khan, director of UoP`s Area Study Centre.

He said provinces could not use `muscle power` to make the federal government change its any policy.

`This is a dangerous trend because tomorrow any other province can stand up and force the federal government to change policy towards any other particular country,` said Dr Khan.

This leaves an important question: if the Nato supply blockade is an infringement on the federal government`s authority then why it is not acting to remove the disruption camps? Dr Suharwardi said the federal government might be using it (PTI`s protest) as apressure tactics vis-à-vis the US.

`Implicitly or explicitly, federal government is using it as a pressure tactics against America,` he added.

Dr Rizvi has a different take on it.

He said the federal government`s approach towards PTI`s `unconstitutional` actions was a reflection of its decision making style.

`They (PML-N) always delay their decisions unless a matter reaches the final stages,` he said.

The federal government, Dr Rizvi added, was not intervening because it thought PTI would not be able to sustain the road blockade for a longer period of time.

He said the federal government should write a letter to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, invoking its constitutional authority and instructing it to fulfil its role by removing obstructions from roads.

However, Dr Sarfaraz Khan thinks the federal government lacks clarity.

`The prime minister is saying one thing and his interior minister has a differentopinion,` he said.

Dr Sarfaraz said the PTI protest was an unfortunate happening as it had coincided with the US drawdown from Afghanistan.

`Both Pakistan and the US should be on one page, but this would be very unfortunate if their relations get tainted because of PTI,` he said.

There is a perception that PTI`s forceful protests have the potential to tarnish Pakistan`s relations with Nato countries.

`Temporarily, the relations are not likely to be affected as Nato also involves countries like Turkey, and they know Pakistan`s internal situation will become unmanageable if they exerted pressure on Islamabad to remove the irritants,` said Dr Rizvi.

He, however, said the situation might turn unfavourable for Pakistan if the blockade continued for a longer period or it became a regular pattern in case their supplies via Chaman, Balochistan, were also halted.

`In that case, they might use arm twisting tactics e.g. cutting economic assistance and military aid and hardware supplies to Pakistan.