National security committee summons army, ISI chiefs

Rabbani says the panel will continue investigations, irrespective of SC verdict.


Express December 22, 2011

ISLAMABAD:


It’s a bold move, but the parliamentary committee on national security will soon find out if it has acted “too big for its boots”. 


The committee decided on Wednesday to summon Pakistan’s military and spy chiefs to explain their stance on the Memogate, in an apparent bid to dispel the impression that the all-party body was too weak to probe such a high-profile criminal case.

Chaired by Senator Raza Rabbani, the panel also decided to call Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, who is at the heart of the bitter controversy which has engulfed national politics over the past two months.

A couple of the meeting’s participants told The Express Tribune that the panel was unanimous in its view that any individual and institution, irrespective of their power or position, could be summoned.

It was not immediately decided when Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence Ahmed Shuja Pasha should appear before the committee.

The all-party and bicameral panel was assigned by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to investigate the memo allegedly sent to then-top US military commander by Haqqani to seek help against a possible military coup in Pakistan in May.

Haqqani denied any role in sending the request through Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, whose article in the Financial Times in October triggered the controversy.

Rabbani told the media that the attorney general had been asked to send the panel all documentation submitted to the Supreme Court by military authorities and Haqqani.

The Supreme Court is holding a parallel investigation into the scandal on several petitions, one of them filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif.

There had been criticism from some quarters that the parliamentary committee did not have technical expertise to probe a case involving criminal investigations. But Rabbani said the panel would go ahead with its investigations, irrespective of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Nothing can stop us…we will complete our task, it doesn’t matter who else is doing the same,” he said.

PML-N boycott rejected

According to Rabbani, members from the PML-N offered to abstain from the committee because the party was a petitioner in the Supreme Court. The panel’s chairman, however, said the committee unanimously turned down the offer from Senator Ishaq Dar and MNA Sardar Mehtab Abbasi.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that his party might boycott the committee because it was irrelevant.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.

COMMENTS (28)

Romm | 12 years ago | Reply can Parliamentry committee investigate a case? It's shame that constitutionalist like Mr Rabbani is behaving in manner
Farhan Gilgiti | 12 years ago | Reply Great move. PPP is always a blessing for the people of Gilgit - Baltistan. This government has done more than any other could have to share powers with the elected representatives of GB. We are thankful. The move to summon the Army Chief and ISI, is constitutional and the nice officers should come forth. The list their presence in front of the committee could do is, to dispel the impression created by Defence Ministry's statement in SC that they don't control Army and ISI. It is in the interest of Pakistan that instead of engaging in shoddy political manoeuvring and political point scoring, all of us make efforts to create hope for the people of Pakistan, the real owners of this country.
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