KABUL - Afghan lawmakers on Monday criticized Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari for saying that a big military operation against insurgents required a "national consensus" including parliament approval, describing his comments as a delay tactic.

The Afghan MPs who spoke to TOLOnews believe that Zardari could be using such statements as an excuse for Pakistan to delay the launch of a military attack as such a move should not require approval from the parliament.

"Parliaments do not have anything to do with the approval of military operations," Kabul MP Nazifa Zaki said. "This is another way to attract more international donations," he added.

Fellow MP Shir Wali Wardak said Zardari's comments are consistent with the country's past lack of action to combat insurgents on its soil.

"Pakistan has never been honest towards eradication of insurgents. It should act more seriously," he said.

Zardari was reported by Dawn News as saying on Sunday that before Pakistan launches any military operation against the militants, the country's governing bodies must agree on it after assessing the country's capacity to deal with an insurgent retaliation.

"We agree that we need to act against militants, but are we ready for a possible blow back?" he said 5th National Conference of South Asian Free Media Association on Sunday.

"There is a need to have consensus following the policy of reconciliation to achieve the desired results in the war against terror and ensure peace and security."

This comes as US special envoy to the region Marc Grossman finalized in high-level meetings with officials in Pakistan the formation of a bilateral body to negotiate with the Taliban militants. (Tolo News)