Q&A session: Senators grill govt over Naushki drone strike
Upper house passes 22nd amendment by two-thirds majority
People gather around a destroyed vehicle in which Mullah Akhtar Mansour was travelling on May 21, 2016. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Senators on Thursday voiced concern over the recent drone strike on Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, terming the attack a violation of national sovereignty and questioning the government’s narrative before and after the strike.
Considering the importance of the issue, the Senate chairman also extended the ambit of the joint committee looking into the drone strike.
During the debate on the killing of the Taliban leader, senators expressed apprehensions over the government’s confusion right after the drone hit and its silence over a national policy on such strikes. They also quizzed Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Pakistan’s increasing isolation in the world, asking him about the issuance of a Pakistani identity card and passport to Mullah Mansoor, and on the impact of the strike on the Afghan peace process.
Speaking on behalf of the house, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said: “We take serious exception to the remarks of President Barack Obama followed up by a statement of the State Department spokesman, saying these drone attacks will continue whenever they [the US] feels threatened,” he said. He believed the threats carried wide-ranging consequences. “I hope the Foreign Office has taken up this issue,” he added.
Aziz clarified there was no confusion on the part of the government, which did not receive any prior information on the drone strike. He added an inquiry has been initiated by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to find out how Mansoor managed to acquire a CNIC. The Foreign Office, Aziz said, had summoned the US ambassador and lodged a strong protest with him.
About the attack’s impact on Afghan reconciliation process, the adviser said the killing of Mansoor had added fire to the conflict and undermined the peace process.
Earlier, the Senate passed the Constitution (22nd Amendment) Bill, 2016, with a two-third majority as 70 senators voted in favour of the bill in the 104-member house.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2016.
Senators on Thursday voiced concern over the recent drone strike on Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, terming the attack a violation of national sovereignty and questioning the government’s narrative before and after the strike.
Considering the importance of the issue, the Senate chairman also extended the ambit of the joint committee looking into the drone strike.
During the debate on the killing of the Taliban leader, senators expressed apprehensions over the government’s confusion right after the drone hit and its silence over a national policy on such strikes. They also quizzed Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Pakistan’s increasing isolation in the world, asking him about the issuance of a Pakistani identity card and passport to Mullah Mansoor, and on the impact of the strike on the Afghan peace process.
Speaking on behalf of the house, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said: “We take serious exception to the remarks of President Barack Obama followed up by a statement of the State Department spokesman, saying these drone attacks will continue whenever they [the US] feels threatened,” he said. He believed the threats carried wide-ranging consequences. “I hope the Foreign Office has taken up this issue,” he added.
Aziz clarified there was no confusion on the part of the government, which did not receive any prior information on the drone strike. He added an inquiry has been initiated by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to find out how Mansoor managed to acquire a CNIC. The Foreign Office, Aziz said, had summoned the US ambassador and lodged a strong protest with him.
About the attack’s impact on Afghan reconciliation process, the adviser said the killing of Mansoor had added fire to the conflict and undermined the peace process.
Earlier, the Senate passed the Constitution (22nd Amendment) Bill, 2016, with a two-third majority as 70 senators voted in favour of the bill in the 104-member house.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2016.